Counting Stars
by skulls-surround-suns
Summary: Annabeth, like everyone else in the world, was born with a timer in her wrist that counts down to the moment she dies. That way, everyone can prepare and come to terms with their death. Annabeth has most certainly come to terms with the fact that her timer says she will live until she is exactly 23, but a chance meeting in a park that resets her timer may change all of that.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I am going to try to make this story relatively angsty, soooo...be prepared. i have never written angst, so this is my first try.**

 **Disclaimer: If you recognize** **it, it's not mine**

Annabeth stirred her coffee and looked up at Piper. Piper was talking about her boyfriend Jason. She was always talking about Jason. Annabeth nodded and smiled, not quite following what her best friend was saying. Her mind was wandering back to the essay she had to write about the birth of art-deco for her architecture class. She stared into space, not noticing that piper had stopped talking.

Piper seemed to notice Annabeth's lack of attention and mistook it for something other than disinterest. She took Annabeth's hands in her own.

"Hey, I want you to know it's OK to be worried about it. It's natural to be."

Annabeth feigned ignorance.

"About what?"

But she knew what. She was reminded everyday of it. Every time she got dressed and happened to glance down at the little timer, merrily counting away to the day she died. Every time someone someone looked at her wrist, they always did, and gave her a pitying look. ' _twenty three'_ they'd say.' _that's awfully young'._ She never told them it was the same day as her birthday. She didn't _want_ them to pity her even more than they already did.

Piper gave her a withering look. She knew Annabeth hated the subject, Annabeth could tell, but it didn't stop her from bringing it up all the time.

" _Annabeth…"_ Annabeth sighed.

"Piper, really. I'm fine." She really was. Of course when she was young and she first did the calculations telling her that she would die on her twenty third birthday she hadn't wanted to believe it. She had cried every night for days. But over time she had learned to accept it. It was a part of her, just as much as her curly blonde hair and tan complexion. It was fate, and it was never to be altered.

"But Annabeth, you've got to be at least a little concerned. Your birthday is in 8 months."

"It almost sounds as if you want me to be constantly pondering my death."

"Well….no, but you've got to be thinking about it a little bit, everyone does."

"Nope." Annabeth said and popped her lips on the "p". She gave piper a small smile and got up.

"I'm going to go throw this away."

Piper nodded and she made her way to the trashcan on the other side of the park. It was mid October and all of the leaves had started to turn colours and fall off of the trees. The weather was brisk, as if foreshadowing how cold it would be in less than a month. Annabeth tugged the grey scarf she was wearing tighter around her neck as she neared the bin. She threw her coffee cup away and started to turn around, but smacked right into someone.

"OOMF!"

"Oh my god, I am so sorry!" She looked at the person she had bumped into. It was a boy of about her age, tall and lanky, but not unmuscular. He had crazy dark brown hair, almost black, that made him look like he had just walked through a hurricane, and mischievous sea green eyes.

"Haha...nah, it's fine." He rubbed the back of his neck and smirked at her(making him look extra mischievous). Annabeth sort of smiled back.

"Percy by the way." He held out his hand. Annabeth puzzled at why this stranger just decided to make friend with her. She _had_ just walked into him. Nonetheless she timidly shook his hand.

"Annabeth."

"That's a really pretty name." He said with a grin. Annabeth hoped he wasn't trying to hit on her. She already had a boyfriend. She wondered if she should tell him this, but decided against it. She was sure he was from out of town. He had an accent that sounded like he never wanted to fully finish his sentences. Very New Yawk. He was probably just visiting. No one ever transferred into this college, and he looked to old to be a freshman, or even a sophomore. There is no way he would be able to keep that accent after over two years.

"Thanks, my mum made it up."

He nodded and glanced at her wrist. _There it is._ She had been wondering when he would look at her timer. Everyone did it, it was only a matter of time. She had already seen that he had 53 years, 7 months and 5 days left. She waited for the pathetic look of pity, like she was already dead. A walking corpse.

What she got surprised her. A grin and no reaction besides that. Percy pulled his phone out of the back pocket of his jeans and checked the time.

"Oh! Sorry Annabeth, I've got to go meet a friend." He smiled, waved and started to jog off. Annabeth watched him and looked at her wrist. _60 years, 5 months, 10 days._ She blinked. She tapped her timer. She closed her eyes and shook her head. Her timer still read the same thing. _60 years, 5 months, 10 days._

That couldn't be right. Never in the history of the timers had she ever heard of one changing. The day of her death was set in stone. Then Annabeth recalled a news story from her current events class last year. A woman had been walking across a sidewalk when a car had almost hit her. At the last minute a man had pushed her out of the way. When the paramedics came they said she seemed confused. She had kept glancing at the timer on her wrist and muttering " _that was the end, that was supposed to be the end."_ Annabeth started. What if what happened to her had also happened to Annabeth? Could the man pushing her out of the way of an oncoming car reset the timer, just like what happened to Annabeth?

A sliver of hope. Like a door opening, just a crack to let the light in. Her fate had changed. She was going to live until her eighties. Why it had changed she didn't know. She didn't think it was possible, but here it was. She smiled and looked up just as Percy rounded the corner and disappeared out of her sight. _I'm going to live._

She smiled a began walking back towards Piper. She chanced one more look at her watch, one more happy reminder, but stopped right in her track. She stared on in horror as the number on her wrist turned blue. The 60 dissapeared. The 5 months turned to 8 and the 10 days turned to 16.

And just like that, the door slammed shut. That tiny ray of hope that she hadn't noticed had grown the size of the sun had been put out and trampled on. Annabeth thought she had accepted it, but she was wrong. The cold hard truth faced her once again. _Fate doesn't change._

But it had. Just for a minute it had. Her short life had grown longer and fuller. There were so many lost moments that had appeared before her and then had been taken away in a flash. She continued walking forward, towards Piper. She was determined not to let how crushed she was show on her face.

She had to wonder though. Why? Why had her time jumped? She didn't know it was possible, but something must have changed. What in her life had changed? What was new?

"You ready to go?" Piper asked smiling and getting up from the bench they had been sitting on. Annabeth nodded.

 _Percy._ He was what had changed. That was the only thing it could be. Somehow he was going to extend her life. He was going to help her.

"Annabeth…, are you sure you are ok. You seem a bit….off." Annabeth nodded again, not quite looking at Piper.

Annabeth was not going to accept an early death. _Percy._ Annabeth was going to find him and make sure he never left her.

 _I'm going to make sure that boy stays by me forever._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Hello! Here is chapter two of the fic! Just want to let everyone know that I have decided to update every Wednesday, though I am very busy so I may update late sometimes. I'm also looking for a beta reader(someone who reads the stories before I publish them and gives me tips). I am thinking of choosing two, so if you want to read the updates before everyone else and have some say in what happens, leave me an ask on tumblr(I have that same username). Or you could just review…**

 **If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

 _Percy. Percy. Percy._ That name had been in the back (and front) of her mind since that day in the park. It resonated in her head like a constant rhythm, like a song on repeat. A reminder of what could have been. _Of what could be._

 _Percy. Percy. Percy._ She couldn't get sea great eyes and messy, almost black hair out of her head. She was worried her chance was gone. That he had left, gone back to New York, or wherever it was he came from. She was afraid that she would never see him again. That she would never see the numbers on her timer change again.

With his name constantly plaguing her thoughts Annabeth had trouble concentrating in class. Even in her architecture class, where they her studying her favorite building style(Greco-Roman), she felt her mind wander. Annabeth knew that if she didn't tell somebody soon, her grades would pay the price.

The perfect opportunity happened two days later. Piper (who already had her own place, courtesy of her dad the movie star) had invited her over for a sleepover the next night. Annabeth now had two things on her mind: Percy and how Piper would react when she tells her.

The next day Annabeth packed her bags. Toiletries, fuzzy socks, and fresh clothes for the next day. She walked over to Piper's apartment in her pajamas, trying hard to ignore the guys smoking pot in front of the complex. She knocked on the door and waited. She heard something inside crash and the Piper opened the door. She grinned brightly at Annabeth, her hair put in a messy side braid and her ratty hello kitty pajamas shirt hanging off of one shoulder.

"You're here!"

"Yep."

"Cool, come on in."

Piper's apartment looked no different than the last time Annabeth had been there. It was pretty small, but not cramped. There was not a lot of natural lighting; not a lot of lighting at all, actually. The hall opened up into a small living room with a TV and an old floral print couch. A kitchen attached to the living room had dishes piled up in the sink, like they had just been gathered up from other parts of the house and dumped there. A door from the living room led into a bathroom and another door led to Piper's bedroom.

Piper was not the cleanest person ever, so Annabeth had to step around a pile of clothes (dirty? Clean? Annabeth didn't know) to reach the couch and collapse face first on it.

"Tough week?" Piper asked.

"You have no idea." Annabeth raised her head to look at Piper. She looked like she wanted to ask, eyebrows raised in a quizzical look. When she didn't Annabeth was grateful. She wasn't quite ready to tell Piper about what happened at the park.

Piper walked over to the TV and chose a DVD. She held it up.

"Breakfast Club?" _Classic._

"You know it."

Annabeth didn't really pay any attention to the movie. It didn't matter-she'd already seen it a million times. After the movie, during the scene where John Bender raises his fist in the air and "don't you forget about me" is playing, Piper turned it off. Without taking the disk out, she turned toward Annabeth.

"Ok, what's up?"

"What? Nothing…"

Piper raised her eyebrow. "Pleease. I know when you want to talk about something. It's like my seventh sense." So maybe Piper only invited her over because Annabeth had been hinting all week that she had something she wanted to talk about. ("Hey Piper, there is something I wanted to tell you, but ooh, gods, I forgot. Maybe I could remember over something like a sleepover? *wink*)

"Wait. _Seventh_ sense?"

"Don't change the subject. You have been acting weirdly ever since that day at the park. Did that guy say something to you?"

"NO, No… It's nothing like that."

"HA! So something _did_ happen! This is just like you Annabeth. You always wait forever to say something that you want to say."

"Piper, do you want to tell you or not?"

"Ok, ok. I'll shut up." Annabeth gave her a pointed look.

"Ok, so you know how my timer says I am supposed to die at 23?" Piper nodded." Well the other day, at the park, after I talked to that guy, my timer said I was supposed to die at 84." Annabeth waited for a reaction.

"What?"

Annabeth shook her head. "I know right! But as soon as he left it went back!"

Piper grabbed her wrist as if she needed confirmation. It shared the same information as it had for her whole life.

"I think it was him!" The words were coming out of Annabeth quickly now, as if someone was forcing them out of her. "I think in the future he is supposed to save my life!"

Piper was silent for a moment. This was what Annabeth had been dreading. The reaction. Was Piper going to go crazy and become desperate to extend Annabeth's life. Was she going to not believe her. Annabeth could barely believe it herself. Would Piper think she made it all up?

Piper looked back down at Annabeth's wrist and at her timer, counting down the seconds. The looked at Annabeth, almost as if she was searching for something. Her shirt sleeve had fallen off of her shoulder again, so she pushed it back up and then wrapped her arms around herself in a tight embrace. At last she opened her mouth to say something.

"Oh."

"Oh?"

"Oh." She confirmed.

"That's all you're going to say to me? Oh?"

"Well what else did you want me to say to you?"

"I don't know! Maybe that you believe me! Or that it's wonderful that I have this chance to possibly extend my life!" Annabeth felt herself beginning to yell. Maybe she hadn't wanted a huge reaction, but she wanted something.

"Well I don't know what to believe! I've never heard of this happening before!"

"So you don't trust me? You think I'm lying." Annabeth accused.

"Of course I trust you! I just, I don't know. I believe you think that it happened." Annabeth opened her mouth and closed it again.

"So you think I made it up. That it's all in my head." She remarked bitterly. Piper shrugged.

"Annabeth, I would love to believe it happened, but I just think you're worried about dy- your birthday, and that made you-"

"Oh, I get it! You really think I am that desperate! That I am that blind to the truth! Fine! Believe that!"

"Annabeth."

"Piper, I have to go. I just can't right now. I just…" Annabeth picked up her stuff and headed from the door.

"Annabeth, please! Annabeth! I'm sorry! Annabe-" Annabeth clothed the door behind her. She took off running down the hall, past the weed smokers and past the elevator, instead electing to take the stairs. Tears streamed down her face as she sank to the floor of the stair well.

 _Stupid. Stupid._ She banged her head against the wall, before resting it there and catching her breath. _Stupid stupid stupid.I shouldn't have told her. I shouldn't have done any of that. I should have stayed and tried to talk through it_. Her phone dinged. A text from Piper.

 **Annabeth, I'm sorry.**

Annabeth turned off her phone. _Stupid stupid stupid…_

 _;;;_

Annabeth hadn't talked to Piper for three days. There were fifty four text messages on her phone, six voicemails and three emails, all from Piper.

 **I'm sorry.**

 **Let's talk**

 **Please**

 **Annabeth**

 **I'm worried about you.**

Annabeth threw her phone under her mattress and sat on it. She face planted into her pillow and took a deep breath. It smelled like lemons and redwood trees. It smelled like her house in San Francisco. It was never perfect there, but at least things were simpler. What she wouldn't give to be back.

Even though her father was concerningly unconcerned with her life and her step mother ignored her and kicked her to the side like last week's laundry under the pretence that they didn't want "the pain that would come with losing her only daughter" she was still homesick. She missed the ocean and being able to walk to the beach with her friends. She liked the humid heat in the middle of September and the chilly fog of the summers. She missed being in control of everything that went on in her life.

With the current semester of the year coming to a close, she wished more than ever for some stability. And more than anything she wished for Piper to be her best friend again.

She had completed her final paper for architecture and was adding the finishing touches to her final story for her English class. It wasn't required for her to take an English class, she was a junior after all, but she just liked being able to express herself in writing.

Annabeth shook her head and closed her laptop. Nothing was coming to her tonight, just like nothing had come to her for the last three days. She knew she should get in touch with piper, but her goddamn pride wouldn't let her. She chucked her laptop under her mattress. It seemed like that was the place she shoved all of her unwanted things. Maybe she should crawl under there as well.

;;;

Annabeth turned in her final paper for English in the wire bin her teacher had set on a desk by the door. It was shit, but at least it was complete. Her teacher smiled at her as she walked past. Annabeth pretended that she didn't see.

The teacher, Mrs. Cavan, stood at the front of the room.

"Okay class, as you all know, this is the last day of the semester," she paused while several people in the back cheered. "Yes! Half of the year is already completed! If you haven't turned in your last paper yet, please turn it in at the front of the room. For those who are not done yet, please see me after class. Everyone else...you're free to go!" Cheers erupted from Annabeth's classmates and chairs squeaked against the floor as everyone scrambled to leave. Annabeth got up slowly and put her earplugs in. She hefted her bag onto her shoulder and started to leave.

"Annabeth." A voice from behind her captured her attention. Mrs. Cavan was the one who spoke.

"Annabeth," she repeated. "You've been a great student in this class and I have enjoyed your writing a lot. I hope you continue this class next semester." Annabeth nodded. She wasn't planning on taking it again, she wanted to have more free time and to have more time for studying. She nodded again.

"I will most certainly think about it." She lied. Mrs. Cavan turned away and Annabeth took that as her time to leave.

She got back to her dorm and looked at her calendar. She was going back home in two weeks for a much needed vacation. She sat down to register for her next classes. She signed up for maths, architecture- her mouse hovered over a class. She clicked it.

 **Your decision has been confirmed.**

She signed up for English. _What the hell. Maybe something good will come out of it._ She closed her laptop and buried her head in her pillow. The new semester starts in two days, and there was no way in hell she was ready for it.

 **A/N: Sorry that ending was kind of anticlimactic. I meant to add more, but that seemed like a good place to stop. The next chapter is much longer, it's already the length of this one and I'm not even half way through! In the next chapter we will definitely see Percy again, but will it be a happy reunion. We will also meet Annabeth's mystery boyfriend. Tell me who you think it is in the comments and what you think will happen next. Please favorite, follow and review!**

 **~Skulls-surround-suns**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry, there is not that much Percy, but you'll finally be able to meet Annabeth's mysterious boyfriend. Where has he been? Warning for loss? I am not sure if that could be a trigger, but yeah.**

 **If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth was starting to think this was a bad idea.

She arrived at her English classroom five minutes late on her first day of the new semester. She pushed open the door to the lecture hall panting and dripping wet from running all the way from her dorm room across campus in the rain after forgetting to set an alarm. The whole class looked at her and Mrs. Cavan grinned wickedly at her.

"Annabeth, I'm so glad you could make it." Snickers from the back row. Annabeth shot a glare in the direction they came from, hoping she looked threatening enough. Then she smiled meekly at Mrs. Cavan, who had her arms crossed and was looking smugly at Annabeth, and then did an awkward half bow before tripping up the stairs and to the first open seat she could find.

"As I was saying, I am assigning the first assignment of the year. You have to write a creative piece about…." Annabeth zoned out and looked around the room. It was rather large, but not grandly so. She sat on the right side of the room, the side closest to the main entrance. Mrs. Cavan paced before the class in front of two large blackboards, waving her hands as she spoke. Annabeth looked at some of the students around her. She recognised a few of them from the last semester, but many of them were new. Mrs. Cavan was not a very popular teacher because she tended to be a hard grader and a bit sarcastic. It usually rubbed people the wrong way.

"...And of course, this being the first project of the semester, everyone is going to be working in partners. To get to know each other." Annabeth's head snapped forward. _Fuck._ She hated working in partners. Partners argue with your ideas and knowledge. Partners leave all of the work to you until the end of the project where they either steal the credit of throw you under the bus. Partners are _bad._

Annabeth barely listened as Mrs. Cavan told everyone that their partners would be the people on their left if they were an odd number row and right if they were and even number row(unless they were on the end, otherwise they partner with the person in front of them). She blinked in surprise as two people turned toward her. When she saw who the person to her right was she practically had a heart attack.

"P-p-Percy!"

"Yup, that's me…..uh, and you are…..park girl!" Annabeth couldn't believe it. The guy she had been desperately trying to find for the week and a half was right there. _Thank god I decided to take this class._ Annabeth was itching to check her timer to see if it had changed, but she refrained.

"And you name was Anna, Anna… something." While he struggled to remember her name, Annabeth studied him a bit more. She hadn't really looked at him that hard when they had first met. He was tan, as if her spent a lot of time outside, with a sprinkle of freckles across his nose. He had little scars all over his arms, and a few visible from underneath the collar of his blue t-shirt. _Funny. I think he was wearing blue last time._ His eyes were even greener than Annabeth remembered, which was weird because Annabeth has a habit of remembering things to be better than they actually were. They were rimmed with blue and shined grey, as if reflecting the cloudy skies outside, but they shined nonetheless.

"Annabeth! That's what it was. I remember because it was so unusually pretty!" He shot her a trouble makers smirk. She laughed awkwardly and glanced down at the person in front of her. She sort of recalled the professor saying that her partner should actually be in front of her.

"Uh, Percy, I think that-" But before she could tell him that he turned the wrong way the guy to the right of him tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dude, your _other right."_

"Oh. _Oh._ Sorry Leo. Uh, sorry Annabeth." He nodded to the girl in front of Annabeth. "Sorry." She rolled her eyes.

Annabeth turned to her partner. She was a petite, African American girl with crazy caramel hair. She looked rather young, like a freshman. She had all of the telltale factors that labeled people as freshman. She had the new binder and she was dressed nicely compared to Annabeth's thrown together ensemble of sweats and a long sleeve shirt from an old camp she used to go to. She looked slightly nervous, being in a sophomore/junior class, but like she was trying to hide it behind a slightly annoyed, sassy façade.

Annabeth gave her a slight, tentative smile and introduced herself.

"Hi, I'm Annabeth."

"Hazel." Now that she wasn't so annoyed, Annabeth could tell Hazel was quite shy.

"Are you a freshman?" Annabeth asked.

"Is it that obvious?"

"No, no, no!" _Yes._ Annabeth shook her head. Hazel looked at her like she knew she wasn't telling the truth.

"Well, a little." Hazel laughed. Annabeth grinned and glanced down at her timer out of habit. To Annabeth's surprise it was covered with a bandage. This wasn't unheard of. Some people preferred to keep their timer covered if they had an unusual time of if they just didn't want it to follow them wherever they went. Annabeth had considered doing that, but decided against it. It draws to many questions and everyone found out about her time anyway.

She felt Hazel looking at her and so she pretended she was looking at her shirt. She doubted Hazel would appreciate her asking her why her timer was wrapped up.

"I love your shirt!"

"Oh, thank you! Are you a studio Ghibli fan?"

"Yeah, I am. I love studio Ghibli."

Annabeth was starting to like Hazel and was beginning to think that maybe she wasn't such a bad partner. She smiled as the younger girl almost smacked someone who was coming up the stairs as she excitedly talked about her geology major. Yeah. Annabeth liked her.

After class Annabeth planned to catch Percy as he was leaving, but she was barely packed when he was out the door. He either had a packed schedule and needed to get somewhere fast, or he just couldn't wait to get out of the classroom. By the jiggling of his knee throughout the whole of the class, she guessed it was the latter.

Hazel bid Annabeth goodbye as Annabeth hurried to stuff the rest of her books into her messenger bag. Percy's partner, Leo, followed her out. Annabeth hefted the bag on her shoulder and ran out after Percy. She stopped when she heard the voices around the side of the building.

"Leo, I already told you a million times, I'm not interested." Said a voice that was distinctly Hazel's.

"C'mon beignet, you know you love the super sized mcshizzel man." Annabeth snuck a look around the corner. Leo was gesturing to himself and raising his eyebrows up and down ridiculously at Hazel. _If he though that line would work, he must be seriously delusional._

" _Leo,_ you _know_ that I'm with Frank. Anyway, as I said before, I'm not interested." Hazel turned away and started to walk away from Leo, but he grabbed her arm. Annabeth was just about ready to come out from around the corner and give him a piece of what she thought of harassment when he looked down at his feet sadly for a split second before coming up again with his usual impish grin.

"Okay, okay," he said, putting his hands up in a defensive way. "Just checking in, wanted to see if you were available and interested." More eyebrows. "Okay. I'll let you go back to lover boy, just call me when you're single and ready to mingle." He started walking away backwards and shot finger guns at Hazel. She smiled sadly and returned with a thumbs up.

"Will do Leo." With that Leo turned around and jogged off. Annabeth came around the corner.

"You know you don't have to go along with it." She said. Hazel started.

"No, it's fine."

"No, it really isn't. It's harassment. If he went any further I would have stepped in to get you out of that situation"

"There's no need, really. It's just Leo. We've been friends for a while. He's just like that because something bad happened a while ago and he's not quite healed."

"What do you mean?" Hazel paused and Annabeth realized that that was a pretty nosy question. _It's none of my business._ She was about to take back her question when Hazel started to say something.

"There was a girl. Her name was Calypso and she died a few years ago. Leo really loved her."

"But wouldn't he know she was going to die? Didn't her timer say so?" Annabeth inquired. Hazel looked at her, offended.

"What a timer says will not stop from loving. And anyway, she was born with a blank timer." Annabeth stood silent. A blank timer? Those were only possible with stillborns. She wanted to ask more about the blank timers and the possibility of them, but Hazel didn't look like she wanted to talk about it.

"Then why does he flirt with you?"

"Because I guess I remind him of her." Annabeth pondered that. Flirting with another girl to fill a gap someone else made in your life seemed like a bad excuse and she couldn't blame Hazel for always turning him down.

"Bye." Hazel raised her hand in a wave and then walked away. Annabeth watched her leave. Hazel seemed a lot more mature than what Annabeth had first thought of her. Then Annabeth remembered why she had ran out of the classroom in the first place.

" _Percy."_ She ran after where she thought he had gone.

Annabeth sighed and plopped on her dorm room bed. Yes, she still had a dorm as a junior. _I really need to get my own apartment, or maybe I can ask to move in with Pi-oh yeah._ Annabeth groaned. Why was life so...so...exasperating? She buried her head in her comforter and breathed in. And breathed out.

"Long day?" Annabeth started. She looked behind her and relaxed when she saw it was just her roommate, Silena. Silena was painting her nails over the railing of her bed. She tucked back her long, flowing black hair and looked at Annabeth expectantly. Annabeth realized she should probably respond.

"You have no idea." She said. Silena chuckled.

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad."

"You'd be surprised." Silena smiled and went back to painting her nails. Silent was really good at giving advice, but Annabeth didn't feel like talking about what happened today, with Percy and Hazel and Leo, with his confounding Calypso. Really, Annabeth just wanted a rest, or to relax with someone.

Annabeth felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She turned over and brought it out. The screen alerted her that she got a text.

 **Hey babe, want to go get coffee?**

It was her boyfriend, Luke. She hated when he called her babe. It sounded stupid and almost...possessive? But whatever. It was a compromise she was willing to make.

 **?**

Luke was a bit impatient, so when she got the second text less that a minute later, she wasn't surprised.

 **Sure, that sounds great**

No more than a few seconds later, her reply came in.

 **See you in 5?**

 **Sure.**

Annabeth got up from the bed. This might be just the break she was looking for, time to relax with her boyfriend. She combed through her hair with her fingers, but then just opted to put it in a messy bun. She plugged her earbuds in and put them in her ears and turned up the volume of the music, then put her phone in her back pocket. She waved to Silena, who raised one hand in acknowledgment, then walked out the door, closing it behind her.

When she left the building, the chill of Autumn descending into winter made her shiver. She rubbed her hands together and proceeded to walk down the street towards her destination. She was meeting Luke at a small café, the same one piper and her had gone to on the day she met Percy. Speaking of which, she should tell him about that. He would want to know.

Annabeth checked the time on her phone and broke into a jog. Her steps were in time with the music on her phone. Soon enough, she could see a familiar head of blond hair sitting at the window of the café. She opens the door and walks in.

"Hey." She says and walks up to the table. Luke turns around and smiles, the scar on his face standing out in the café's lights.

"Hey!" Annabeth smiles at his excitement to see her. She really did love Luke. She took a seat on the chair across from him.

"How's it going? I feel like I haven't seen you in forever."

"Luke, it's only been three weeks. And I'm fine by the way. How was your trip?" Luke had taken a trip to France to document the recent terrorist attacks in Paris. When he had left, she had been so scared that he would be caught up in an attack, but she knew it was his dream. He had always wanted to be a reporter, to have the chance to show what is really going on in the world. No lies, no hiding. In that way, they were similar.

"My trip was great. It was really jarring interviewing victims and witnesses, really the experience of a lifetime. I am glad my internship let me help cover it." Annabeth notices happily the twinkle in his eye. He always got so excited about his internship, just seeing him like this filled her with joy.

"But enough about me, how about you. What's been going on in your life?" Annabeth smiled slightly and tucked her hair behind her ear. She glanced at her wrist. Now would be a perfect time to tell him about Percy and her mysterious time change. But she was afraid. She was afraid that he would ridicule her like Piper had, or even worse, break up with her. The timers were what had brought them together in the first place. They both had the same time, off by only a few seconds. She looked up at him and decided to go for the easy answer. She covered her wrist and cleared her throat.

"U-um, n-nothing much." She stuttered. It had always been hard lying to Luke, definitely knowing how much he hated liars. He quirked his eyebrow.

"Annabeth...what are you not telling me?" _Dammit._ He knew her too well.

"I, uh, I had a fight with Piper."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, just, Jason and you know how she gets, it was you know, her time of the-"

"GOOD GOD Annabeth. Gross, don't tell me about that stuff. If that's it you know I don't care about that stupid girly stuff." Annabeth thought his comments were a little rude, but she ignored her discomfort. What is love without disliking some of your partner's qualities?

"Ok, well, just like...make up with her. It's not that big of a deal." _You have no idea what a big deal it is._

"Ok. I'll think about it. Just...some of the stuff she said was kind of offensive."

"Do you mind if we, I don't know, change the subject?" Luke interrupted. Annabeth paused then smiled.

"Sure thing."

Annabeth stood in front of the door, fist raised. She had been standing there for the past ten minutes, deciding whether or not she should knock. But this is what Luke had recommended, and Luke was right even more than Annabeth was, and Annabeth was almost always right. She took a deep breath in. Before she could let it out, the door swung open. The person on the other side had choppy, unkempt braids, and looked like she hadn't slept properly for the past week. She still looked better than Annabeth, as always.

"Piper." Annabeth breathed.

 **A/N: I know, I know, we all hate Lukabeth. Annaluke? Whatever, we hate it. But keep reading, we'll get to Percabeth all in due time, just remember that in the books Annabeth revered Luke in the highest possible way, so I am trying to translate that into this au. Tell me what you think should happen in the next chapter. Do you think Percy should get a longer appearance? Let me know in the comments. Don't forget to fave, follow and review!**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: sorry about that cliffhanger, but I just couldn't help it. It was right there! I promised Percy, so that is what you get, but maybe not in the way you expect….. You'll see!**

 **Ps: I promise to update he loves me, he loves me not by the end of Friday.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine**

"Piper." Annabeth breathed. Piper's surprise turned into guarded anger. She crossed her arms in front of her defensively. Annabeth felt bad for waiting so long to make up with her. This was long overdue.

"Piper, can I talk to you?" Annabeth pleaded. Piper raised an eyebrow. Annabeth made her best begging face. Piper sighed and leaned on the door frame.

"Sure, but try to be fast. I'm meeting someone." Piper's cheeks tinted pink.

"Is it Jason?" Annabeth teased. She missed this. Teasing. Being friends. It had only been a few weeks, maybe even less, but it felt like more. It felt like eternity.

Piper broke into a quick grin, but then shook her head and her grin disappeared.

"That's not what you came here to talk about, is it?"

Annabeth shook her head no.

"Can I come in?" Piper opened the door and gestured for her to enter. Annabeth stepped into the familiar living room. It looked even worse than it had last time. There were bars of chocolate left half eaten on the counter and a empty ice cream carton on the couch. Annabeth looked closer at Piper. She had on shorts and a nice crop-top, but it was slightly wrinkled. Her hair was put into one single braid for once, like she wanted it to look nice without brushing it. She had covered up her dark circles and mascara smudges with makeup, but Annabeth could still tell she wasn't sleeping. Annabeth was concerned. Was this all because of her?

Piper sat cross legged on the couch. She shoved some books off of the other side and patted the cushion. Annabeth sat down.

"So?" Annabeth took this as her cue to speak.

"Piper, I am so sorry. I got mad for no reason. I know that there hasn't been any proof and that it's hard to believe. I am so sorry. And I haven't gotten back to you, I've been ignoring your texts, and I've been such a bad friend, I-" Piper held up her hand. Annabeth stopped talking.

"Ok. I believe you."

"What?" Annabeth was in shock. What had changed her mind?

"I believe you. At first, I didn't know what to believe, but….I realized you're too smart to make up some kind of delusion like that. And I've never known you to lie to me. I guess I just...I just thought it was too good to be true. My own doubt in the world, in life, made me believe that it couldn't be true. I didn't want to hope." Annabeth nodded.

"I get that. I didn't want to hope either but, something happened." Piper took Annabeth by the shoulders.

"SPEAK." She commanded.

"I may have found him again." Piper gasped and shook Annabeth's shoulders.

"WHAT! OH MY GOD, WHERE?" Annabeth laughed happily. She was so glad she had Piper back. She needed her a lot more than she thought she would.

"He's in my English class."

"I thought you weren't going to take English."

"Well I decided to last minute."

"Wow, it must be destiny." Piper looked completely serious. Annabeth laughed and slapped her shoulder lightly.

" _Please._ Destiny." She laughed again. " Now don't you have somewhere to be?"

" _Oh shit."_ Annabeth stood up as Piper tripped over her coffee table to get out of her apartment.

" _Wait, wait, wait._ Stop." Piper looked at her. "You can't go on a date like that."

"How do you know it's a-"

" _Shhhh."_ Piper grinned.

"I really do look terrible, don't I?"

"Yeah, you kind of do." Annabeth grinned and pulled Piper into the bathroom.

"I'll help you look good for your date." Piper smiled and allowed herself to be pulled along.

Annabeth talked to Piper and told her about what had happened to her in the last few days. She told her about Hazel and Leo and the mystery of Calypso. She didn't mention Percy again. For some reason she didn't want to say who it was who was supposed to save her life. Of course Piper would probably recognise him on sight, but still…..it seemed wrong.

Then Piper told her about what had been happening to her. In the past few weeks Piper had cried(a lot), eaten way more chocolate that's she should have, and had lost sleep. Annabeth felt bad for worrying her so much, but after about the tenth time she apologised Piper had promptly told her to shut up. Ironically, while Piper had become such a mess, her crush Jason had asked her out. And that's where she was going.

"Have you texted him to let him know you that you'll be late?" Piper's eyes widened as she scrambled for her phone.

"Wait..piper..just one…., OK. I'm done." Annabeth stepped back to admire her handy work. She looked like she had two weeks prior. Healthy and like she hadn't been just fighting with her best friend. Or like her best friend hadn't decided to abandon her in a fit of selfishness.

"Now go! He's waiting!" Piper nodded and scrambled towards the door. Annabeth ran after her, tripping over a loose shirt on the floor. She bent over to pick it up. She held it up to Piper, who was struggling to shove her feet in a pair of ratty vans.

"I'm going to clean while you are on your date." Piper looked up at her.

"No, really, you don't have to do that."

"Trust me Piper, it's long overdue. And anyway, I feel bad for worrying you," Annabeth ignored Piper trying to interrupt her no kept talking. "And it's the least I can do." She looked down at Piper sternly. Piper sighed.

"Fine. Do what you want. I need to go." Annabeth opened the door for her and waved at her receding back. She turned around and faced the inside of the apartment. _I have a lot to do._

Annabeth knew three things about Percy:

First: Percy was _loud_. Everything he did and said was done in a manner that filled the room. He could never just not reply to a comment, he always added his two cents, whether it was a quick remark or to share is fully researched opinion. If he heard something from the other side of the room, even if it had nothing to do with him, he would yell his thoughts from across the room. It drove Annabeth _crazy_.

Second: He was so enthusiastic about _everything._ Everyday he seemed so happy to just _be._ He greeted the teacher, asking about her day and sharing a bit of his. If he answered a question correctly you could count on a huge whoop of pride. And God forbid he get a good grade on a test, because gets so excited that he stands up and dances and yells and high fives his friends. She hoped that wouldn't happen today, she was exhausted from deep cleaning Piper's apartment. She had stayed up past midnight, barely realizing that it had gotten dark. Annabeth had then stayed up an extra hour to finish because she was a perfectionist and _if that picture doesn't just stay straight or so help me god._ Annabeth had ended up falling asleep on Piper's couch and waking up to her alarm at nine o'clock reminding her that she had class in an hour. So if Annabeth didn't want to deal with Percy's over enthusiastic-ness nobody could blame her.

The last thing Annabeth had concluded about Percy was that he was a proper fuckboy. He seemed to flirt with _everybody. Everybody._ Girls and guys. And he used words like 'bae' and 'rekt' unironically. He was the complete opposite of Annabeth, who was quiet, introverted and overall unsatisfied with life. Annabeth was sure they would never get along. But...he was Annabeth's key to a longer life. She felt bad about using him. She didn't really want to, but once she had had the tiny sliver of hope she couldn't forget about it. Definitely not now that she was so close. When she had first met him she had hoped that they would get along. Then it would be easier to be around him and she wouldn't have to fake it. She could just be friends with him and 'coincidentally' live longer because of it.

"I am going to be handing back your tests now." Mrs. Cavan waved a clump of papers that must have been their tests in her hand. Annabeth sighed. She knew she would soon see Percy's achievement dance. Percy may act like an idiot 99% of the time, but he was actually very smart. He got good grades on mostly all of his tests(Annabeth couldn't help but know), he had well researched thoughts and opinions that she could see throughout class discussions, and although usually not asked for, his shouted out answer or opinion on a topic was usually right. Annabeth just found it hard to connect the deep person who got A's on tests and essays to the person who's motto for life was probably YOLO.

Annabeth got her test handed to her by Hazel. She took the pile and found hers before passing the remaining tests to Percy. She had gotten another A. She chastised herself for getting a point off for spelling, but she couldn't exactly help it. She was dyslexic and although she knew Mrs. Cavan would be easier on her when it came to her spelling, she didn't want to tell her. Annabeth thought that if she did it would be like admitting that she couldn't do what everyone else could do. It would be like admitting that her dyslexia had beaten her. Even so, Annabeth usually got A's. She worked extremely hard, sometimes even during her lunch and over the weekends, and her work payed off.

Annabeth braced herself for what she knew would happen next. A loud whoop sounded from next to her. Percy had gotten another good grade. As he stood up and clapped hands with the people around him, Annabeth buried her head in her hands. She was so tired she felt like collapsing. She couldn't believe that this was the guy who changed her timer. That this was the guy who would help her extend her life. Annabeth didn't want to spend one second more than she already had to with him. _Destiny._ Annabeth would laugh if she wasn't so tired.

Annabeth shuffled her papers into her bag and shrugged it onto her shoulder. She had decided that today would be the day be befriends Percy. As he roughly shoved his stuff in his bag and ran off she chased after him. Once she had caught up with him she had to jog slightly to keep up with his fast pace. Now that she thought about it, it seemed as though he was always in a rush to get out of class. Annabeth wondered why. She started to initiate conversation:

"Hey, Percy. How'd you do on the test?" She already knew, but Annabeth had never really been one for small talk. He glanced at her sideways.

"Well, I guess I did pretty well. What about you?" Annabeth could tell he didn't want to talk to her and that he was just asking that to be polite.

"I did fine. So I was thinking that maybe for the next project we could-"

"Could we talk about this some other time?" Percy interrupted. "I have to run. I've got swim practice." Annabeth told him to go ahead. He jogged of, leaving Annabeth who had stopped walking, behind. She crossed her arms over her chest and glared at his receding figure. _This would be harder than she thought…._

;;;

….though apparently not that difficult, because the next time Annabeth had her English class her teacher announced the beginning of a new project.

"Ok everyone, I am assigning a new project. Everyone must work with one partner-" Everyone in the class cheered. "-of my choosing," The cheers turned into groans. "Everyone will create a story with their partner. It must be fictional, at least 5 pages long and will surround the main characters thoughts and actions around a moral dilemma." That caught annabeth's attention. She could just write her autobiography and turn that in. It seemed ridiculous enough to be fiction and _God_ was it a moral dilemma.

"Ok, I will be reading the partners. Listen carefully for your name: Katie Gardner and Travis Stoll; Leo Valdez and Clovis Kurasmenous; Lou Ellen and Cecil Lathraia; Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson…" Annabeth's vision tunnelled. Finally. A chance to be around him. A chance to become friends with him without creeping.

Mrs. Cavan kept listing off names. Percy turned to her with a smirk.

"Looks like we're partners." He grinned and propped his head up on one of his hands. Annabeth looked at him and then nodded in a delayed reaction. He chuckled and Annabeth shook herself. She straightened up and looked at him pointedly.

"We're going to get an A on this project." Percy nodded. "Tonight you and I are going to brainstorm story ideas, OK?" He nodded again. "Hold out your arm." She commanded. He complied. She took out a sharpie and wrote her number and email on the inside of his wrist. He stared down at it and then looked at her.

"And what are you going to do?"

"I'm doing the same thing of course. Let's meet up on...Monday? At noon? Then we can go over ideas. Text me and then I'll have your number. Then I will tell you the place." Percy stared at her for a second and then broke out in a smug look.

"So it's a date?"

" _Ugghh."_ Annabeth shook her head and then stood up.

"Just...text me later." Percy stood up too and pointed finger guns at her. Annabeth mentally face palmed.

"Will do."

Annabeth took her bag and began walking out of the classroom and towards her dorm room. She felt her pocket vibrate and rolled her eyes. She took her phone out of her pocket and looked at the texts.

 **What up! It's Percy.**

Annabeth bit the inside of her cheeks to keep from smiling. _What an idiot._

Annabeth waited outside of the ice cream shop impatiently. Percy had decided that he got to choose the place where they met. He had chosen this ice cream parlor and couldn't be persuaded otherwise. And now he was twenty minutes late and Annabeth was getting weird looks from some of the parents who had come to the shop with their kids. Annabeth did look a little scary. She had once again not gotten enough sleep that night because she had procrastinated until the last minute to come up with ideas for the project and so she had dark circles underneath her eyes. That morning she had decided not to try covering them up with makeup because 'the whole world should know that she is exhausted and is ready to kill a man'. She was wearing all black with doc martins and had shoved the majority of her hair into her navy blue Yankees baseball hat. One mother looked at Annabeth suspiciously and pulled her children closer. Annabeth ignored her (or tried to).

Soon enough Percy sauntered up to her. Annabeth huffed and pretended to check her watch, although she knew that he was exactly 27 minutes late.

"Twenty seven minutes late."

"Well I-"

"Twenty seven minutes." She held up her hand. "Don't even." Percy shrugged and followed her into the ice cream parlor. They each ordered their ice cream (Annabeth noted how he specifically asked if they had anything blue) and they sat down on one of the blue vinyl booths that lined the side of the room.

"So who spit in your orange juice this morning?" Annabeth glared at him and he smiled innocently back.

"Why do you ask?" She responded sarcastically. He looked her up and down and she squirmed under his gaze.

"You look just about ready to kill a man." Annabeth noted their similar thought process.

"That's cause I am." Percy raised his hands in front of himself in a sarcastic self defence gesture.

"Ooh. You're scary." Annabeth rolled her eyes. It wasn't that she hated Percy. She just found him extremely annoying. Like _really annoying._

"Let's just share what we've got, OK?" Percy looked at her for a second before slowly nodding and pulling a laptop out of the blue shoulder bag he had brought with him. Annabeth did the same.

"Ok," he said, pulling up a document. It had several small paragraphs of story ideas. "I was thinking that maybe we could have a main character with two duelling desires. Like, the person wants one thing but at the same time wants something that will contradict it. Or the character will have a moral code that has to be broken for something to get done." Percy's green eyes brightened as he talked about his ideas. Annabeth could tell he was pretty proud of them. She considered the ideas. They were a little vague, but could be easy to work with.

"Yeah...that could work," She said. Percy leaned forward excitedly. "I think we should apply some kind of modern problem to the story, I know Mrs Cavan loves it when people do that."

"Mhm, like what?" Percy asked. Annabeth thought about his question while licking around the edge of her icecream. Percy had already finished his, wolfing it down in a few bites.

"I don't know, like, I know there is the upcoming election. Maybe the main character wants to vote for a party that their family is not apart of, or they want to come out to their homophobic parents, knowing that they will most likely kick the out." Percy leaned enthusiastically across the table.

"We should do the timers!" Annabeth flinched slightly and her hands clenched into fists. That was an uncomfortable topic.

"It'll be good because it is relevant to everyone!"

"No." Annabeth couldn't do it on that. Her experience with her own timer and Percy and the time change...it was all too relevant.

"What? Why?"

"I just...I don't like that idea." Annabeth tried to cover up her distress. She knew that if her asked why again she would have to give in. She didn't have a valid explanation of why, she had noted that her timer changed as soon as he walked up, and she didn't want to explain to him the whole business with changing and everything. _There's no better way to scare someone away than telling them that they are destined to save your life and so you must be near that at all times even though you barely like them._

"I don't really understand-"

"Fine!" Annabeth snapped. She didn't want him thinking into her reaction anymore. She would just have to go along with it.

"Um, OK...say, do you have some kind of _problem_ with me?" Percy sounded annoyingly confused, like he couldn't think of anyone not liking him.

"No, it's just….yeah." Annabeth stated. "You really annoy me."

"Wow. Blunt." Annabeth shrugged. She waited for his protests, but none came.

"Fair enough. Not everyone has to be in love with me." Annabeth's eyes widened, but then he winked at her and she returned to her previous glare. She was surprised that he was so...ok with not being the center of her attention. Not that it was a bad thing, it was just so unexpected.

Percy snapped his laptop shut and put it in his bag. He stood up and swung his bag around his shoulder and then put his hands in his pockets.

"So do you want to meet up on...Friday? Until then I'll develop the story a bit more and you can do the character?" Annabeth looked up and tried to stutter a response. She was seeing Percy in a new light, maybe he was not as much of a douche as she had previously believed. When no answer came out of her mouth, she opted to just nod.

"Well, see you then. I have to go- swim practice." Percy gave her a small smile, turned and walked away, hands still in his pockets, head bobbing to music only he could hear.

Annabeth started and wiped some of the melted ice cream that had dripped onto her hand. She finished the cone and threw it away. She began to leave, and then looked in the direction that Percy had gone.

 _Maybe I was wrong about him._

Annabeth started walking in the direction of the school's pool. _Swim practice…_

 **A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for making Annabeth hate Percy (not really). I saw your comments and everyone was begging for percabeth, but that's not what I promised, was it. I just said I would have Percy in it. Also, the last names of some of the characters i didn't know, so i just took what their godly parent is associated with, translated it into greek, and adapted it into english letters. Tell me what you think should happen next, because I am at a loss, and what characters you want to see. Please gave, follow and review,**

 **skulls-surround-suns**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here is the next chapter! I have spring break right now, so hopefully I will be able to write a lot this week. I will still be posting on Wednesday's though(I won't update more often, maybe just longer chapters. Idk). Here is some info in the watches! I want to thank lunarchroniclesandcockatiels and percythedarkone for giving me some ideas and recommendations for what to do next! Enjoy!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

 _Abs._

 _Lots and lots of abs._ That's what met Annabeth when she followed Percy to the pool. She hadn't wanted to seem like she was stalking him, she wasn't really, she had just wanted to see how good her was. It seemed that he was always in swim practice, so she wanted to know if all of his time there paid off. And so, when she saw him turn into the school's indoor pool, she had continued straight, before making a left and walking to the library. There she had stayed deciding whether or not she was even going to stop by the pool on her way back to her dorm. She didn't know until she had left the library, having not even picked up a single book. When she had left she took a right and then went straight.

And now here she was, standing in the entrance of the indoor pool, like a total creeper ogling the boys on the swim team. When she had decided to come here she hadn't thought about the fact that _swim team. Duh. Of course they wouldn't be swimming fully clothed._ Annabeth felt uncomfortable. Like she was watching a goddamn _Free!_ episode.

But this was real. Real boys, real bodies. The sound of splashing water and yelling, the smell of chlorine and sweet sour in her nose. It was real, and that made it different. That made it weird and _wrong_ for Annabeth to be standing here, watching them.

But she couldn't stop. The way they swam was entrancing from the beginning where they dove into the water, barely causing a splash, until the moment where they touched the wall and pulled themselves out of the water, muscles rippling as they high fived each other. It was like watching art. Like Ancient Greek statues had come alive and decided to start swimming. But no one compared to Percy. He was a demon, cutting through the water faster than anyone else. He looked completely at home, like the water was his natural habitat. He reminded her of the Ancient Greek god Poseidon, King of the seas. She thought it was funny that he had never bragged about his swimming, because he definitely had the right.

Annabeth forced herself to tear her eyes away. As mesmerising as it was, it was wrong. She had a boyfriend and he was more than enough. Luke was...Luke was indescribable. He was so much more than Percy and his sarcastic, douchey attitude(and his wonderful pectorals). Admiring him as an art piece as a museum -surreal and untouchable that was ok, but anymore than that was crossing the line. Annabeth had enough drama in her life, she didn't need to think of Percy in any way other than a person who extended her life. He was like a lifesaving pill, a rough, hard to swallow pill, and it wasn't going to be any other way.

Annabeth turned away from the dripping bodies and jubilant laughter. She pushed her way out of the door and into the cool, late autumn air.

Annabeth checked the clock on the desk next to her bed. It must be late, Silena had gone to sleep hours ago, and the clock confirmed her suspicions. It was two in the morning. Annabeth's eyes burned from staring at her laptop screen. She had been working for hours on the character design for her and Percy's story. She knew she didn't want her to be white and straight, like every other character in literature. She wanted there to be proper representation in media, and she hoped Percy was comfortable with it. She wanted to say that if she didn't he'd just have to deal, but that wasn't the case. It was a shared project after all and if he was uncomfortable with it she would have to start over(even if PoC and LGBTQ+ was reality).

About two hours ago, Annabeth had given up on designing the character. She just couldn't make her intriguing enough. Her personality seemed to...fake quirky. Like she was trying too hard. And so Annabeth had exited out of her google doc and had done some research on the timers. If they were going to write the story about them, they should know as much as they could. Annabeth had to admit- as much as the timers were such a huge part of her life, she barely knew anything of them.

And so Annabeth had been trying to cram as much knowledge about them as she could in their head. Strangely enough, there was not a lot of information about them. Apparently, a company called DCD inc.(Death Countdown inc.) had come up with them over a decade ago. From what she could find, the timer's worked by measuring chemical balances within the people and are able to predict down to the minute the exact time of death. Annabeth didn't really understand it. It seemed someone had just put a long string of medical and scientific terms in a long, running sentences in an attempt to scare people away from trying to understand it. Besides that, and what Annabeth already knew about them, she found very little.

Annabeth opened up a new document and made a list of information.

 _Timers are put in as soon as a baby is born_

 _Stillborns have 00.00 time_

 _Chemical imbalances?_

 _DCD inc_

 _Mandatory in 173 countries_

… _.._

Once she had written down everything she knew was for certain, she began looking up conspiracies. Some people thought that it was the timers that killed people. That they counted down to a random moment in your life and would send some kind of electric shock or poison into the system. Others believed that it was the government's way of controlling you and of invading your privacy. Annabeth didn't know what to believe. It was late and she didn't want to think anything past the stories that had been fed to her since she was a little girl; that the timers were so people could come to terms with their death and so that they could plan ahead. That the timers were there to help people have closure.

They may have worked for Annabeth. Sure she was going to die in a few months, but since she had met Percy, she had been OK with that. It didn't work so well for other people.

Her it had been too much for her mother, she had gone crazy and left Annabeth when she was only six. She hadn't been able to handle Annabeth's early death.

Annabeth's father tried his best, but she could tell he didn't know what to do. He had married again a year later. Her stepmother and step brothers never got close to her. Both of the boys had long lives, their timers each at about eighty years. Her step mother had always kept Annabeth at an arm's length. She said that 'she couldn't bear to become close to Annabeth and then lose her so young'. Annabeth knew it was a load of bull shit and that she really just didn't care about her.

Annabeth had run away when she was seven. She couldn't stand being alone in that cold house. She was treated like a walking corpse. Like a ghost. Invisible. She had tried finding her mum, but was caught by the police and taken back. After that she had buried herself in her schoolwork in an attempt to forget that in everyone's eyes she was already dead.

It was two thirty in the morning and Annabeth was starting to wonder if the conspiracies were right. If the timers really were a bad thing. It was too late. She shouldn't be thinking that. It was to much like...like Thalia. It was too late and too dark. Annabeth was too tired and she knew that at this hour anything could seem true.

Annabeth closed her laptop. She set it beside her bed. The darkness swallowed her up. She pulled her comforter up over her head. Thinking about her past made her feel like a little kid again, scared of the monsters under her bed. She looked at the slight glow that her timer provided. She counted along with the seconds. Annabeth fell asleep counting.

It was Friday and Annabeth still hadn't come up with very much about the character. She had a rough outline, but that was about it. She hadn't wanted to meet Percy without anything less than amazing, but nothing was coming to her. As much as she stared at a laptop screen she couldn't think of the words to describe someone.

Percy had texted her the time and location of their meeting place on Thursday night. She had followed the directions that he had left and arrived about ten minutes early at a small sweets shop on the outskirts of the college campus. The entire inside was painted blue except for a few of the cabinets, which were a light shade of lavender. It seemed that Percy had a thing with blue. She's have to ask him about it later.

She sat down on a bench that was outside of the sweets shop and busied herself on her phone. She only looked up when she had noticed someone obstructing her light. She locked her phone and looked up.

"Hey." Percy said. He smiled down at her. His dark hair was as messy as ever and fell into his eyes when he looked down at her. He pushed it back with his hand but it just flopped into his eyes again. Annabeth wondered what it would feel like if she was the one running her hand through his hair. Then she pushed that thought back to the very farthest part at the back of her mind. She shouldn't be thinking things like that.

"Hi." Annabeth stood up. Percy gestured in a 'after you' gesture and she walked into the sweets shop, him following close behind.

Annabeth loved anything sour. Well, anything sour and not crap. She grabbed one of the plastic bags that you were supposed to put your candy in and looked at the assortment of sweets. Percy followed suit. There were long, twirled ropes of licorice. Cinnamon gummy bears, sour shoe laces, chocolate rocks, candy floss, marshmallows, Dutch mints, aero bars and every colour of jelly bean and MnM available. The shop seemed to extend a lot farther than she had initially thought. Once she had filled her bag up halfway she walked up to the counter. A middle aged woman with greying brown hair and kind blue eyes rang her up. Then she stepped outside and waited for Percy.

After five minutes Annabeth was starting to get suspicious. What could he possibly be doing in a candy store for that long. She took a glance through the doorway and saw Percy talking to the woman behind the counter. She gave him a hug and ruffled his hair. He was looking at her like she was the best thing in the world, like she was the universe. Annabeth quickly turned around when Percy began leaving the shop. She didn't want it to seem like she was eavesdropping (even though she had done creepier things).

Percy seemed to notice her questioning expression.

"That's my mom." Now that Annabeth thought about it, they did kind of look similar.

"I thought you were from New York."

"We are, but when I came here my mom decided to follow." Annabeth nodded. That made sense. Kind of. Annabeth wouldn't know, she had never had parents that cared about her that much.

"Park?" Percy asked her. Annabeth nodded and followed after him.

The park they were at was mostly dead. All of the leaves had already fallen from the trees and we're starting to decompose on the ground. Even the grass had spots of yellow from the days it had been so cold at night that the world had frosted over. Annabeth and Percy sat on a bench. Annabeth put at least twelve inches of space between them.

"So what were you doing?" He asked, digging around in his bag of candy and pulling out a blue jelly bean. Most of his candy was blue(all of it was).

"Hmmm?"

"When I walked up you were smiling at your phone. What were you looking at?"

"I was reading." It was true. She _had_ been reading. Annabeth hoped he wouldn't ask what it was. She didn't want to explain that she had been reading fanfiction. She didn't want to seem like even more of a super nerd.

"You really like to read, don't you?" He was looking at her. Annabeth felt uncomfortable, like he was studying her under a microscope. She nodded.

"I can tell because whenever I walk into English you are always reading something."

"Wow. Much observation. Such deduction." He rolled his eyes at her. Though she was surprised that he had bothered to notice something about her, let alone remember something that she did. Annabeth always tried to not stand out. People didn't remember her, let alone things about you.

"Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I'm pretty smart and amazing." There was the Percy she knew.

"Yeah, a fucking Sherlock Holmes."

"Ouch, Watson." He winked at her.

"Smooth," she said sarcastically.

"You bet it was."

"Yeah, like a moose having a seizure." Annabeth teased. Annabeth didn't know why, but she was starting to enjoy talking to Percy. He was still egotistical and completely full of himself, but he was intelligent and easy to banter with. They had texted a little bit over the course of the week, mostly about the project, but sometimes about other stuff. She didn't want to admit it, but Percy was not as bad as she had first thought.

"Well I try." Annabeth rolled her eyes at him and took a sour worm out of her bag. She put it in her mouth. It wasn't as sour as she had hoped. Over the years Annabeth had become immune to sour candy, probably from eating so much of it. Percy eyed her candy as if he didn't have a bag of his own.

"Can I have one of those?" Annabeth gave him a fake annoyed expression.

"You have a whole bag of candy in front of you."

"But I don't have any of _those."_ He made a fake pouty face.

"Oh my god, _stop._ " Annabeth said and threw one of the worms at him. He smiled and caught it before putting it in his mouth. Annabeth laughed as he made a face at the sourness.

"How do you eat these?!"

"Practice." She said. Annabeth set her candy bag to the side and took her laptop out of her bag. She set it on her lap and opened it up, going to the document that she had been working on. She winced when she saw her incomplete character design. She looked up at Percy, who was scooting closer to see what was on her screen. Annabeth fought the desire to scoot away(and the other desire that confused her. The desire to scoot closer).

"So, this is the character design so far. I uh, wasn't able to finish it, so I was wondering if you had any input." She expected a remark about 'the wonderful Miss Chase needing help' but he just pulled his own laptop out and asked her to share the document with him. She did and then watched him read through the design.

"Lina….Puerto Rican and Filipino….lesbian….sounds pretty good if you ask me."

"Are you ok with it? I can change it if you're not."

"What wouldn't I be ok with. I like her, she's….real." He said. Annabeth smiled slightly. She was glad Percy wasn't a complete asshole.

"Well, I have a sort of outline of what I think the story should be." He said. Annabeth nodded.

"Can you share it with me?" He did. She pulled it up on her computer. She read through it. It was interesting. Annabeth was glad it didn't hit too close to home. The main character's timer has counted down until an early stage in her life, but when it reached zero she didn't die. Annabeth thought it was a good idea, one she had never heard of. Then the main character meets someone and wonders about telling them that they don't know when they will die. It was still a little bit uncomfortable for Annabeth, but it didn't mirror her life, so that was a plus.

"This is good," she said. "I think we can really build off of this." She turned her head to look over at Percy. When she turned she found his face to be less than an inch away from hers.

"Aahh!" She she made a squeaking noise. Percy turned his face towards hers as Annabeth jerked away from him. When she had been reading, he must have been looking at the screen from over her shoulder. Annabeth's heart was racing. She was mostly just surprised, but his proximity made her embarrassed(as well as her reaction). She hoped she wasn't blushing. _With embarassment of course._ She checked her timer. Maybe it had jumped to right now and that's why Annabeth felt like she was about to go into cardiac arrest. Her timer reassured her that she still had around sixty years to live. It changed every time she was around Percy.

Percy pretended that he hadn't just almost given Annabeth a heart attack and moved over to his side of the bench. He was looking at his own laptop. Then he turned his green eyes to her.

"So I just shared a document with you. We can write the story on there. When would you like to meet?" He was watching her, waiting for a response. Annabeth got ahold of herself. _Right, school project._

"I know a really good cafe near the East Campus."

"Great, text me the details. I have to go." He said, standing up.

"Swim practice?" Annabeth asked.

"Swim practice." He confirmed. He started walking away, but then stopped. He smirked evilly at her.

"You're welcome to come...again." He looked at her wickedly while he waited for what he said to sink in. _Again_. Annabeth turned beet red. Percy laughed.

"Oh my god! You...you...Jesus, it's not what you…" Percy laughed as she stumbled over her words. He was still walking as he jogged away from her. _It's not what you think,_ she had wanted to say. _It's not like that at all._

Annabeth got her phone out and texted Luke. _I need someone reasonable in my life._

 **Hey, do you want to go on a date sometime?**

He responded several minutes later, when she had caught the bus and was headed back to the dorms.

 **Isn't it the guy who usually asked that?** She rolled her eyes. Luke was so old fashioned.

 **Welcome to the 21st century.** She wrote back. She wanted to delete it instantly. That was something she could say to Percy, but not to Luke. Luke didn't like it when she was very sarcastic, especially when it was to him.

 **Wow Annabeth, what's gotten into u? You know I was only joking.** Annabeth knew. Sort of. She still hated his politically-incorrectness.

 **Ya I know**

 **Ok babe, I will pick you up at eight tomorrow night**

 **Ok**

Annabeth locked her phone and turned it on silent.

Annabeth cursed as she looked at herself in the mirror above Silena's desk. She was trying to put on mascara and was failing. Drastically. She groaned when she messed up again and put her mascara down, picking up another makeup remover wipe.

"Do you want any help with that?" Silena asked from her bed. Annabeth did need help, but not from Silena. Silena loved makeup; she said it was an art, and she tended to go a little crazy when it came to giving her friend make overs(she was an art student). Annabeth would be okay with it, but Luke didn't like her wearing a ton of makeup. He also didn't like her going into public with him without any. He always said he wanted them to be the most attractive couple wherever they happened to be. Annabeth wondered why he didn't have to put on makeup.

"No, it's ok." She told Silena. "I think I've...got it. Oh thank god! It's all done." Annabeth admired her handy work in the mirror. It seemed pretty good.

"So who're you getting all dolled up for?" Silena asked. Annabeth started brushing her hair and turned to look at her. Silena sat leaning forward sketching a variety of figures. Her silky black hair tumbled over her shoulders and she pushed it back. Annabeth had always admired Silena's middle eastern features: her glossy black hair, her thick eyelashes and her middle eastern complexion.

"Luke of course, he is my-" Annabeth started, but was interrupted when Silena groaned.

"Uuhhggg! You're still going out with the fascist?" Annabeth scoffed at Silena's description of him

"He's not a fascist!" Annabeth defended.

"He so is. Why are you putting on makeup then?"

"Because I want to look nice."

"I could make you look nice."

"Yeah , but Luke doesn't like it when I wear a lot of makeup."

"Fascist."

"Uugghh." Annabeth groaned. She shouldn't have brought up Luke. She knew Silena hated him.

"I don't understand why you still go out with him. You are so much better than that."

"No I'm not. And Luke is perfectly fine. He takes great care of me and he's reliable. I know he will always be there for me."

"He's also offensive and undermines everything you say and do. You're always so different when you're around him. It's like you deflate. Everything that makes you you disappeared." Annabeth finished brushing her hair and stood up. She had heard this exact speech from Silena a million times before. She didn't care enough to be angry.

"You seriously need to just dump him. I know about the whole timer thing, but like, are you even friends? Do you even like him or have fun around him?"

"I do too!"

"Dump him!" Silena cupped her hands around her mouth. "Dump him and date that hot guy I saw you with in the park."

"Hot guy in the park? What are you talking about?" Annabeth said. Silena grinned and pushed her black hair over her shoulder.

"The one that you were totally flirting with."

"What! I never did anything like that. And definitely not with...with Percy!" Annabeth said in disgust. Percy wasn't so bad, but she would never flirt with him, especially since she had Luke.

"Percy! So you do know who I was talking about!" Silena leaned back against the wall and cackled. Annabeth sighed and turned away to hide her smile. Silena loved this kind of stuff.

"No can do Silena, I've got to go on my date with my-" Annabeth made finger quotes. "'fascist' boyfriend." She left and locked the door, still hearing Silena laughing inside.

Once she got outside she pulled out her phone and texted Luke.

 **I'm on my way.**

He responded almost immediately.

 **Hurry up, i'm waiting.**

Annabeth checked the time. He was fifteen minutes early.

She picked up her pace.

 **A/N: Hey everyone! That was more of a developmental chapter to explain the timers, but I'll introduce new characters in the next chapter and I will help the story along. I can also start posting excerpts at the beginning or in between chapters of the story her and Peru are writing. Kind of like what Rainbow Rowell did for** _ **Fangirl.**_ **I am always a sucker for reviews, to leave me as many as you want. Let me know what should happen next and what you want to see more of. Don't forget to fave, follow and review!**

 **skulls-surround-suns**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Hey! Sorry for updating a bit late. This is going to be a bit of a short chapter because I had a bit of a writer's block this week and I have also been really busy. Special thanks to Aveca and Ayano's Theory of Relativity.**

 **If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

"Annabeth!" Luke said, standing up to greet her. She walked forward and gave him a hug. He kissed her cheek and sat down again. She pulled out her chair and sat across from him.

Annabeth looked around. The place they were eating was fancy. _Very fancy._ Annabeth felt underdressed. Sure she had put on makeup and even wore a dress, but she was in a casual sundress and her converse seemed blaring lay obvious compared to the other ladies high heels. The room was dimly lit and candles flickered on the tables. The tablecloths were clean white and the napkins folded into swans. _Swans._

Luke smiled at her.

"The waiter has already been here three times. _Three."_ He said, still smiling.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were picking me up at eight."

"I texted you." Annabeth nodded. He had texted her. At 8:05.

"I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Annabeth. You know I just don't like to be kept waiting. Now, how have you been doing? How is class? What did you decide to take?" He asked her. Annabeth could tell that he was still mad, but was changing the subject to prevent any awkwardness. She was grateful of that. She already felt awkward in this fancy place, with all of it's fancy people.

"It's fine. I'm fine. I decided to take English again." She responded.

"Oh, English. Why did you decide to take it again? It's not in your major."

"Uhh, well, I don't know. Writing is just really relaxing to me. I thought it could be a kind of stress reliever class, and I could still get college credits."

"That's nice. What are you working on now?" Annabeth could tell that the subject was wearing thin, but Luke was trying to take it as far as it would go. They never had very much to talk about besides their daily lives. And Thalia. But they always tried to avoid that subject to the best of their abilities. At least Luke did.

"Well, I am working with a partner and we are supposed to write a fictional story about a person with a moral dilemma. We are crafting it around the timers." She said. Luke stiffened. This conversation was moving into dangerous territory. Luke didn't like talking about the timers. He opted to take the safer route.

"Who are you working with?"

"I'm working with this guy. His name is Percy. Jackson. And he is actually really nice. At first I thought that he was gonna be an ass, but, um…" Annabeth looked at Luke's expression. "But, he's uh, he's not." She finished weakly. For some reason she felt the need to gush about Percy. They had been texting since they last saw each other, and she learned they shared a few of the same interests.

"That's great. I'm glad you are getting along so well." Luke said. Annabeth looked for some form of coldness under his response, but he seemed genuine. She was surprised. Luke usually got jealous easily. She nodded.

"I've been hired for a news channel." He said.

"Wow! That's great!" She said enthusiastically. She was glad, he had been applying for a while.

"Yeah, it's really great! They want me to get started soon…" The waiter came over to take their orders. Annabeth got pasta and water, Luke got a steak and some fancy alcoholic beverage. The waiter left and Luke continued.

"They want me to get started as soon as I can. I'll be starting off here, but then when I get more experience, they want me to go to France. They think it will be a huge hot-spot because of all of the immigration into that area and the attacks on Paris and Belgium."

"Oh." Annabeth straightened and leaned back. That meant he would be leaving in a few years. What would happen to _them?_

"Yeah, they think that would be in one or two years, and- you graduate in what, a year?"

"Two." She replied numbly.

"That means that we could move there together." _Together_. They would be...wait.

"Luke, no."

" _What?"_

"Luke, look at this." She said, leaning forward and showing her timer. Her numbers counted down merrily. "I have about eight months to live." She grabbed his timer and put them next together. "We both do." Their timer's counted in rhythm, only five minutes apart.

"Annabeth, I don't want to talk about this."

"Luke, we have to sometime. We can't just put it off."

"I don't want to live like I'm on a time limit!" He yelled. Several of the people around them looked up.

"We all are. Ours is just shorter than the rest of the world's."

"Why does it have to be?" He said.

"Luke...don't say that. You're starting to sound like Thalia."

"Don't mention her." Luke was starting to sound angry. This was usually the point where Annabeth discontinued the subject, but for some reason she felt the need to go on.

"Luke it's not your fault that she's in the hospital. It's her fault and her fault only that she tried to break her timer and-" Luke stood up.

"It is not her fault!"He bellowed. By now the whole restaurant is looking at them. "It is the fault of our fucked up government and these stupid goddamn timers! And don't mention her again! I don't ever want to hear another peep about what happened!"

Annabeth stayed silent throughout his speech. Then Luke tossed his napkin on the table and left the restaurant. The people around her stopped staring at Annabeth after she shot them a glare. She slumped down into her chair. _God. What am I going to do now?_ And then the food came. And then Annabeth remembered the check. Luke had left her to pay for the check and she definitely did not have enough money to pay for her meal and his meal. _This calls for drastic measures._

 **Hey Piper, can you come over to L'appart Resto asap? It's an emergency.**

Then she sent the same message to Silena. Less than a minute later she got a text back.

 **On my way**

Her phone buzzed again.

 **I'm coming. Be there in five.**

Annabeth was glad to have such dependent friends.

;;;

Piper arrived five minutes before Silena. When she came up to the table, she say down.

"I didn't know this was supposed to be black tie." She joked. Annabeth nodded. She felt guilty about making Luke leave her. Piper noticed that Annabeth was sad and scooted to her closer.

"Hey, are you ok?" She asked. Annabeth shook her head.

"Luke was supposed to take me to dinner. He left once the conversation moved to Thalia."

"Awww, sweetie. I'm sorry. He's a douche bag if I ever heard of one." Piper said, trying to comfort Annabeth. At that moment, Silena arrived at their table.

"Who's a douche bag?"

"Ugh, Luke."

"Luke's not a douche bag." Argued Annabeth.

"But he's a fascist." Silena supplied. Annabeth pouted.

"So what happened?" Silena asked. Piper responded.

"Luke ditched in the middle of their date, and apparently-" Piper looked around at the food on the table. "Apparently, he has expensive taste."

"Wow, that's a dick move."

"It's not that bad. I upset him." Annabeth said. She felt the need to defend him. He was her boyfriend after-all. "I just need help paying the bill. I only have enough money for myself, but I can pay you back another time." She said.

"No Annabeth, it's fine. Anything for a friend." Piper told her, nudging her with her shoulder and winking. Annabeth smiled.

"So why was he angry at you in the first place?" Asked Silena.

"I arrived a bit late," Annabeth said. Her brain corrected her, saying Luke was actually early, but she chose not to say so. "And I mentioned something I shouldn't have and well- do you mind if we don't talk about this? Just distract me for a bit." Annabeth glared at Silena when she caught her mouthing the word ' _fascist'_ to Piper. Piper giggled.

"Well, what do you want to know?"

"You had a date with Jason, right?" Silena said, raising an eyebrow. Piper blushed deep crimson.

"Yeah…"She said tentatively.

"So tell us how it went!" Silena demanded. Piper laughed nervously and grabbed a fistful of her hair from the back of her head. She let go and then shook her hair out. Annabeth recognized it as one of her nervous ticks.

"It...it went really really well."She finally admitted. Silena squealed and Annabeth supplied a smug smile. She was glad Piper had finally gone out with the guy, she had been pining after him for months, ever since she discovered him in her political science class.

While Piper started gushing about Jason, Annabeth's mind wandered. She had heard it a million times before. Blue eyes, blah blah, scar on his lip, blah blah, strong and brave, blah blah. It was all very romantic and Annabeth was happy for her, but she didn't need to know every single detail about the guy, unlike Silena who was at the edge of her seat.

Annabeth's eyes swept over the rest of the restaurant. She twisted her pasta with her fork idly and looked at all of the different people. They all looked relatively the same, same posh demeanor, same fancy cloths. Same snooty expression when they caught Annabeth looking at them. Then, she recognized someone. Tucked away in the back corner of the room was Hazel from English. On a date.

Annabeth thanked any Gods that may exist that it wasn't Leo. It seemed to be a pretty big guy, probably older than Hazel, but Annabeth couldn't see his face, so she didn't want to make any assumptions. Hazel was smiling more broadly than Annabeth had ever seen, so she supposed that whoever he was, he was a good match for Hazel.

Annabeth watched them a little bit more (she knows it's creepy, but...whatever), but then she noticed something. When Hazel raised up her arms to mime something Annabeth's eyes immediately went to where she knew Hazel's timer was. It was a force of habit, almost everyone did it, but Annabeth still felt ashamed every time she did because she knew how much she hated it when others do it to her. But where Hazel's timer was supposed to be was a bandage wrapped around her had forgotten about that. Many people try to cover their timers with tape, but a bandage was unusual. A bandage implied that the person had tried to take their timer out. And nobody but crazy people try to do that. Annabeth had only ever know one person who tried.

Hazel looked Annabeth's way and Annabeth snapped her eyes up to the conversation at her table. She pretended to be interested in whatever her friends were saying (still talking about Jason) and tried to ignore the feeling of Hazel's eyes boring into her back.

"Oh, and Annabeth, I think he is in your English class." Piper said, turning toward her.

"What?"

"Jason. He just transferred in late to your class. He should be there in your next class." Piper said, but Annabeth was miles away. She looked around at her table. At her friends, but more specifically, their timers. Ever since hers had changed that day in the park, Annabeth had started to notice people who covered theirs up. She could see Piper's counting down her long life, and her own counting down her short one. But when she looked at Silena's, it was covered with pink tape and bangles.

Even when they were leaving, after eating their slightly cold food and paying the bill, she was still thinking about timers. She thought about Silena's bangles. And about Hazel's bandage. But mostly, she thought about something she had once heard Luke say.

"People only cover their timer's if they have something to hide."

 **A/N: See. That was pretty short. Do you want to hear more about Thalia? Or maybe about Piper's date with Jason? What do you think Hazel and Silena are hiding? Who is Hazel going on a date with? Tell me what you want to see and what to do next in the reviews! Please fave, follow and review!**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: I am so so so so sorry y'all! I feel horrible about not updating for so long, but I have been impossible busy and it was my birthday on Wednesday (I'm fifteen!) and life has just been crazy. Unfortunatly, I don't think I will be able to update every wednesday (especially since summer is coming up), but I definitly want to try to have that as my goal day. I can't garentee that my updates will be super regular, but I promis I will finish this story and I will update at least once a month (I hope). I love all of you and thanks for staying with me.**

 **If you recognize it, it's not mine.**

"Annabeth, if you don't turn off that goddamn alarm clock I will smash it -and your head- against the wall." Silena groaned from under a pile of covers. Annabeth took her head out from underneath her pillow and rolled over. She blindly slapped the space where she guessed her alarm clock was and after a crash from what she guessed was a book, she found it and turned it up. She sat up and looked across the dorm room at Silena, who was peeking back at her, her face the only part of her visible from under a mountain of pillows and blankets.

"Are you ready to see Dreamboy?" Silena asked. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"No, I am not seeing Luke today."

"Ha, ha...you know what I mean." Silena replied. Annabeth did know what she meant. Ever since Annabeth first mentioned Percy, Silena had given him the nickname Dreamboy. Annabeth knew she wasn't referring to Luke because she always referred to him as The Fascist.

"Uh...yeah. Why wouldn't I be? We'll just be in class together."

"MMhmm. M'kay. Tell me about it when you get back. 'Till then, I have no classes and I am going to sleep away the day."

Annabeth didn't go back to the dorm after her shower. Instead, she opted to shove her dirty clothes into her book bag and take it along with her, so as not to disturb Silena. When she opened the door of the dorm building, the cool autumn air made her shiver. Now Annabeth wished that she had decided to dry her hair before she went outside.

The cooling temperatures and falling leaves reminded her that Thanksgiving break would be just around the corner. One could document the changing seasons by the layers the students at the university had to take off at the beginning of each class and by the amount of knitted everything Annabeth wrapped herself in. Annabeth wrapped her knitted wool scarf tighter around her neck and kicked through a pile of leaves.

 _Thanksgiving._ Speaking of that, Annabeth still didn't know what to do over the break. Usually she went home with Luke and his family, but this year she didn't feel like she wanted to. Maybe it was time to finally spend a Thanksgiving with her family. After all...according to her timer, it was her last one.

Annabeth still hadn't figured out why it changed when Percy was around her. She guessed that it might be his own 'chemical imbalances' that were messing up her own timer, but besides that...she had nothing. The one thing that she did know though was that every time they parted it went back to it's original time. But maybe it was better not to dwell on such matters. The holidays were drawing nearer and whether she would die in about seven months or not, it was time to spend time with her family. Who knows if she will ever be able to again.

Annabeth pulled her phone out of her jacket pocket and unlocked it. Her finger hovered over one contact. _Mum._ She hadn't even talked to her mum in two years, not since the incident in the subway. Her mum had always seemed a little bit... _off_ , but that day she cracked. She told Annabeth that she was already dead, that she had been born dead and had never really had a life that she could fulfill. Before Annabeth left her there she had told her to never talk to her again. And so far, she hadn't. Not for two years. But that could change right now. _I wonder how she's doing…_

"Annabeth!" Annabeth's head snapped up towards the voice calling her.

"Annabeth!" She twisted around to see the source of the noise. Hazel was slowly jogging up to her with one arm raised in a wave and the other pulling her boyfriend, or who Annabeth assumed was her boyfriend- it _was_ the guy she had been on a date with at the restaurant, Annabeth was sure of that-, over.

"Hazel!" Annabeth said in recognition. Hazel's face lit up and she broke into a grin. She stopped in front of Annabeth and pushed her curly hair out of her face. The big guy stood awkwardly behind her, smiling meekly.

"Annabeth...hi! Um…, oh, pardon me. This is Frank," Hazel said, gesturing to the big gu- Frank, behind her. "Frank, this is Annabeth. She is in my English class." Annabeth raised her hand in an awkward wave.

"Nice to meet you." She said. Frank smiled and Annabeth marvelled at how such a big guy could look so...cute. Frank had a round face and short black hair, but his 'chubby' cheeks were what emphasised his puppy-like look. He must be around the same age as Annabeth, maybe a little bit younger. Definitely older than Hazel though. Frank put his arms around Hazel and she stepped into him. _They're cute together._

"So what are you doing? Are you coming from a class?" Hazel asked her.

"No, I'm just taking a walk. Y'know, getting out of the dorm."

"You still live in a dorm? You're a junior right?" Frank asked her.

"Uh...yeah. I live in the upperclassman dorms. There's a building a little bit..." Annabeth pointed behind her and to the left. "Over there."

"Oh, ok. That's cool. I didn't know you could do that." He said. Annabeth nodded her head. The small group fell into an awkward silence (awkward just seemed to be the word of the day). Hazel cleared her throat.

"So Annabeth...would you...like to come with us for lunch?" She said desperately. Frank shot her an uncertain look, but not unkind.

"No, no. I really wouldn't want to intrude-"

"You wouldn't be intruding! Besides, it's warm," Annabeth shivered. "There is coffee and tea and plenty of food." Annabeth grinned like she knew she had won Annabeth over.

"Ok….I guess I can't say no to that." Annabeth shot Frank an apologetic look, but she was surprised to see that he didn't seem unhappy that she had intruded on their date. Instead, like Hazel, he seemed excited. _Maybe they're not used to people actually saying yes?_

Annabeth let herself be led along by the couple.

They ended up in a small cafe that was nestled in between a pet shop and a little boutique. It was not very well lit and a little bit drab, but there was a fireplace and the whole place smelled like coffee. Annabeth waited behind Hazel in line, not that there was much of one, and looked at the menu. There wasn't very much, just the usual- tea, mochas, decaf, espresso, chai tea latte. Annabeth wondered why of all of the places to go Hazel and Frank choose this one.

Annabeth ordered a chai tea latte and went to sit next to Hazel by the fireplace. She sank into one of the worn leather couches and wrapped her hands around her cup. It warmed her up so much that she had to resist the urge to rub it on her face. Soon enough, Frank joined them and sat down on the love seat next to Hazel.

"So how is your partner project going?" Hazel asked. Annabeth sipped her latte before answering.

"It's going fine." Annabeth said tentatively.

"You're working with Percy, right?" Annabeth nodded. Hazel laughed.

"He's kind of a handful, isn't he?" She chuckles.

"Well, actually, he's really on top of everything." Annabeth defended.

"Ohhhhh...he must be trying to impress you then. Classic Percy. Has he invited you to a swim meet yet?" Hazel giggled. Annabeth ignored her comment.

"Do you know him?" She asked.

"He was one of the upperclassman in high school. He transferred to our school in senior year." Hazel explained.

"We all became pretty good friends, y'know. He's a good guy, Percy is." Frank added. Annabeth could barely hear a soft accent when he spoke, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Yeah, he actually helped us get together." Hazel smiled. She gazed lovingly at Frank who returned her gaze. Annabeth shifted uncomfortably. It felt weird talking about Percy's past without him there. Like facebook stalking, but in real life. Like she was "liking" all of his pictures from four years ago.

"That's really great. Maybe he'll help me meet the love of _my_ life." Annabeth said. _Or at least until...yeah._ She had a feeling that she and Luke wouldn't last much longer. Their relationship was stressed and tight, like a rubber band being pulled too long. Who knows when someone will snap?

"I thought you had a boyfriend?" Hazel said, her eyebrows drawing together in concern.

"I- I do. It's just...I don't think it will last that much longer. We're both just kind of drifting apart." Annabeth said. A lame excuse, but believable none the less. How was she supposed to explain that both of them were going to die in a few months and the stress of ending on a good note was getting to them. Or even harder to explain- Annabeth was starting to compare Luke to someone else...and Luke was the bad side of the coin.

"Well, that's too bad. It happens to the best of us." Hazel said, nodding her head sadly. Her curls bounced with her and Annabeth bit back a smile.

"So your partner is Leo, right?" Annabeth asked, eager to get off of the topic of her love life. Hazel's expression darkened.

"What? You didn't tell me that!" Frank said incredulously. Hazel shrunk into the couch like she was trying to disappear.

"I know what you think about Leo….you wouldn't want me to work with him."

"Damn right I wouldn't want you to work with him." Hazel grated at Frank, but Frank didn't look angry. He just looked concerned. Annabeth cleared her throat.

"Is there...some kind of history between you?" She asked. Frank looked at her surprised, like he forgot she was there.

"Oh, sorry Annabeth. Um….yeah, a little bit. I mostly hate him because he's a slimeball."

" _Frank._ " Hazel said. She turned to Annabeth. "He just hated him because Leo is always flirting with me. He's just jealous." She poked Frank in the side.

"That and he's always joking about the ti-" Frank looked at Annabeth. "Um, yeah."

Frank and Hazel shared a look and Annabeth was reminded of the bandage around Hazel's wrist. It had just sounded like he was about to say _timers_. Was he just being defensive about Hazel or was he hiding something too?

"So what are you doing your report on?" Hazel asked, trying to salvage the last remaining shred of conversation that she could. This was a disaster and she knew it.

"Percy and I are writing about a girl with a timer malfunction." Annabeth said quietly. Hazel winced. _It can only go downhill from here._

"Yeah, we thought it would be a good thing to write a story about something that was happening in real life to kind of raise awareness about it. Maybe to kind of normalise it so that it wasn't such a taboo subject." That hadn't been there actual plan, Annabeth was just saying that so that Hazel didn't feel the need to hide anything, but it seemed like a good idea as she said it. Raising awareness and making people with malfunctioning timer feel better about telling people without negative effects was something that was important to her because it was something she lacked throughout her whole life. She just hoped Percy was ok with it.

"...Annabeth, there's something we- both Frank and I -need to tell you." Hazel said. She shared another look with Frank, but it was somehow different from last time. Instead of hiding something it was like they were having a whole conversation with just one look. Annabeth could imagine what they were saying: ' _We should tell her' 'Should we?' 'I think she gets it' 'OK...if you say so."_

Hazel leaned closer to Annabeth and began to unwrap the bandage around her wrist. As the bandage unfurled bit by bit,the tension within their little circle increased until it was almost unbearable. Finally, Hazel removed the bandage completely and showed her timer.

At first Annabeth didn't see anything wrong with it. There was no gaping hole where it should be, not blank wrist. It looked just like hers. But then she realized what was wrong. The timer was completely zeroed out.

Annabeth looked up at Hazel who was looking at her worriedly. She looked back down at the wrist, but saw nothing wrong besides a few red marks caused by the bandages.

"How- how is it… how long has it been like that?" She asked.

"It's always been like that." Hazel said. She began wrapping it back up and Annabeth watched at the timer disappeared behind the cloth. "Ever since I was born. It has always been zeroes out."

"How is it like that. I thought babies were only born with zeroed out timers if they were stillborns." Annabeth whispered. Frank leaned it closer to hear her and to block their conversation from the people entering the store.

"I'm not sure," Hazel sighed. "All I know it that I'm technically not supposed to be alive."

Frank but a reassuring arm around Hazel's shoulders. Annabeth looked at her own wrist, at her own numbers and counted down with them. She imagined never having them, never knowing what it would be like to have constant reassurance. A constant reminder of when it was her time. What would her life be like without the constant count down on her wrist and in the back of her head.

Frank scooted closer into the circle and put his wrist in the middle. Where his timer would be was a piece of white athletic bandage. He took a deep breath and prepared to take it off. Annabeth copied his actions and held her breath. If Hazel was born without a countdown then what could Frank's be? She leaned forward in anticipation as Frank started to peel the right corner from his wrist.

"Hey! Do y'all need anything?" The boy from behind the cash register called. She recognised him as Lee Fletcher and cursed his name as Frank slapped the tape back on his wrist before Annabeth had the chance to see anything.

"No! We're good Lee!" Hazel called. She leaned back, away from the group and grabbed Frank's hand.

"Ok...well, we better go." She said, laughing nervously. She leaned in closer to Annabeth and whispered in her ear.

"Don't tell anyone."

"I won't." Annabeth reassured. Hazel stepped back and her happy grin reappeared on her face.

"Ok, well bye Annabeth!" She said, waving.

"It was nice meeting you." Frank added, smiling softly. Annabeth waved at them as they left. She settled into her seat and took a sip of her chai. It was cold.

Annabeth settled into her seat in her English lecture hall. In front over her sat Hazel, who was conciously trying to ignore Annabeth. It's not like she was being rude, no, Hazel could never be _rude,_ she just wasn't...cheery. She was usually such a ball of sunshine. Usually, she would turn around in her seat and talk to Annabeth and she would smile a bright smile and laugh into her hand, but today she just sat still, facing forward in her seet and pretending to focus on the book in her lap(but Annabeth noticed that for the ten minutes they had been in the classroom, Hazel hadn't turnned one page). Annabeth didn't blame her though. It made sence that their conversation earlier had ruffled some feathers.

The class started; Mrs. Cavan was talking about conditionals; and Annabeth realized Percy wasn't sitting next to her. Normally she could recognise his presence by the overwhelming smell of chlorine and his elbows jutting out to her area of the desk(The elbow thing really bothered her. She should really talk to him about that.). Annabeth tried to forget about the absence of her partner, but it was hard not to worry about him now that she realized he was gone. _He might be sick. He may have been kidnapped. Oh God, what if he was hit by a car!_ Call Annabeth bleak, but her argument is that she couldn't be wrong until she was proven so.

Annabeth sat in her state of nervous anxiety, her mind tumbling over questions like ' _Did he get cancer?' 'Is he dead?' 'Where is he?'_ It was all a bit dramatic, but Percy had always been early to class, never _absent._ Annabeth just had a habit of blowing everything out of proportion.

As she mulled over her most recent idea ( _he was arrested by the FBI for drug trafficing),_ she was abruptly pulled out of her thoughts by the door of the classroom slamming open. Percy stood panting in the doorway, his face bloody and the collar of his shirt streached and ripped like someone had held the front of it while they beat him up.

The entire class turned to look at him as he walked forward, apologising to the teacher who gaped in response, and taking his seat next to Annabeth. He asked her for a piece of paper and a pencil, but she barely registered the words coming out of his mouth. The rest of the class had moved on and Mrs. Cavan was able to get them together and quell their chittering. She had to remind herself to keep breathing and to ignore his grunt of pain as he mover his hands, his bloodied knuckles obviously hurting. This was much worse than her overblown hyperboles. This was real and all to close.

Annabeth didn't know why it mattered to her so much, why this felt like a punch in the gut, but she was going to kill whoever did this.

 **A/N: I already apologized, so I have nothing more to say on that, but still- sorry. :( Also, sorry about my spelling if it bad. I have a lot of trouble with my dyslexia and my spell check is being especially selective. Tell me who you think it was that bet Percy up. And what is up with Frank's timer? Let me know what else you want to be added to this story and please give me tips! Fave, follow and review!**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello everyone! I am so tired! Sorry for not updating, but all my teachers simultaneously decided to give me a fuckton of homework and I am dying. I have to give credit to hryepuru for guessing Hazel's timer problem( I think? It's midnight here and I don't really remember what happened). Then, madcat27, lunarchronicalsandcockatiels, hryepuru again(damn),and Greekgodsrox...well, you may or may not be right. You'll have to see. And lastly, Tempestuous Ocean, it matters that summer is coming because I am going to be very, very busy and won't have very much time to write and also I am traveling to places without wifi.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth snuck another glance at Percy. She internally winced when she saw him take a sharp inhale of breath in pain. He looked back at her and they made eye contact. She quickly turned back towards her laptop screen, but couldn't help looking back at him a few minutes later.

Today was a lecture, so of course they weren't allowed to speak, but Annabeth wanted to say something to Percy. Something like oh, maybe ' _WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED!?'_ She glanced at him one more time and pulled out a piece of paper from her bag. She grabbed a pen, swirled it a few times on the paper to see if it worked and then started to write her note.

 **A- what happened?**

She folded it and slipped the paper over to Percy. He looked down at the folded up paper and then looked back to the front of the class. Then, ever so slowly, he picked up the piece of paper, opened it, and looked down. He glanced over at Annabeth, who quickly looked away, and then bent down over the piece of paper. Annabeth tried to look over his shoulder to see what he was scrawling. Then he abruptly straightened and Annabeth jolted back. He gave her a weird look and then grinned, wincing as the cut on his cheek opened up again. He handed the slip of paper to Annabeth, who, unlike him, did not try to be stealth at all.

 **P- just got into a disagreement**

 _Disagreement?_ It seemed like quite a bit more than a _disagreement._ Whatever happened to Percy was a serious fight. Annabeth wrote another question and slid the note over.

 **A- who were you fighting**

Percy read the note and his eyebrows scrunched up in the middle. Then he scribbled something down and quickly gave it back to Annabeth. She picked it up and unfolded it.

 **P- I never said I was fighting. Just a disagreement**

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

 **A- don't lie. I'm not stupid. I know what happened, I just want to know why and who**

She gave the paper to Percy. He opened the note and then looked back at her. He crumpled it in his hand and stuffed it into the front pocket of his jeans. Then he turned to her and gave her a forced lopsided grin and shook his head.

"We should probably pay attention to the lecture." He whispered. Annabeth nodded. She faced forward and then looked at her watch. Percy obviously didn't want to talk now, but maybe he would be more open after class. It was five minutes until the class ended, but Annabeth felt the time stretch. She tapped her fingers on her desk.

"Ok, that is the end of class. Have a nice day everyone." Mrs. Cavan finally called from the front of the room. Annabeth shoved everything into her bag, not caring enough to try to do it neatly. She turned around to talk to Percy, only to find the space where he sat empty. She spun around and looked at the door where Percy was exiting. _I need to catch up to him._ Annabeth slung her bag around her shoulder and took off running down the stairs, accidentally pushing into someone and then calling a quick apology over her shoulder.

 _Why do I care so much? What Percy does with his life- with his fists- is none of my business. So why does it matter so much to me? What am I doing._ Annabeth stopped in her tracks. He behavior puzzled her. They weren't close. Annabeth had no reason to prevent him from fighting, or to prevent others from fighting him. She watched Percy turn around a corner and disappear from her sight. _It shouldn't matter._

Annabeth adjusted her bag on her shoulder. She turned in the direction of her dorm room and began walking over. She pulled her scarf tightly around her neck and shivered. She rubbed her hands together and began to walk faster. _It's fucking cold!_ Annabeth hadn't noticed at first when she had been chasing Percy, but the weather was cooling down. Annabeth entered the dorm building and lept up the stairs (instead of the elevator) two at a time.

Annabeth walked up to her door, but she heard voices arguing inside. She pressed her ear against the door. A male and a female voice softly bickering at eachother. It sounded like Silena and her boyfriend Beckendorf (Silena was the only one who was allowed to call him Charlie). Annabeth always thought they were the power couple- they never fought- but it didn't seem that way now. Annabeth tried to listen closer to what they were saying.

" _-not much time."_ Silena's voice said.

" _It's ok, love. We both knew this was coming. You will get through this."_ Beckendorf said.

" _Charlie…"_

" _I know, but there's nothing we can do about it. My d-"_ Annabeth stumbled and hit her knee on the door. It made a loud bang and the talking stopped. Annabeth figured that there was no way they didn't know she was there, so she decided to just go in so as not to make them suspicious.

"Hi Silena...Beckendorf." Annabeth greeted. Silena sat on her bed, leaning against the wall and holding her knees to her chest. Beckendorf sat on the chair at Silena's desk with his elbows resting on his knees. Beckendorf was a large, black guy with high cheek bones. He had dark hair that was cut so short one could barely tell that it was curly. Although he held a large and strong, sometimes overbearingly so, presence, once one gets to know him he's actually a big sweetheart.

As soon as Annabeth entered, both Silena and Beckendorf turned to look up at her. They said hello and Beckendorf sat back.

"Hi Annabeth." He said. She waved at him.

"Hey." Silena muttered morosely. Beckendorf gave her a look. Then he started to get up.

"Ok, well, I'll leave you ladies alone. Bye love." He kissed Silena on her forehead. She gave him a weak smile. Beckendorf said goodbye to Annabeth and left the room. Annabeth turned to Silena after sitting down on her own bed. Silena was in the process of wrapping herself up in a blanket burrito.

"So...do you want to talk about it?" Annabeth asked gently. The top of the blanket roll moved in what Annabeth guessed was Silena shaking her head. Annabeth nodded slowly.

"Ok...if you ever do just...I'm here, ok?" Silena nodded. Annabeth waited for Silena to say something, but when she didn't Annabeth sighed and turned around. She pulled out a book and tried to read, but she couldn't get the weirdness of the day out of her mind.

;;;;

Two days later Annabeth sat on the bench at the park where she had first met Percy. She looked at the trashcan where she had bumped into him. Annabeth figured it didn't really matter that she had met him there. She'd have met him in her English class, or maybe somewhere else on campus. She thought it was silly how she attached such importance to such a place of little true significance…

"Hey."

Annabeth looked up. Piper stood in front of her, holding her hair that the wind was blowing out of her face. She smiled.

"Hey." Annabeth stood.

"So, was there something you wanted to talk about? Something so urgent that you texted me 911?" Piper's smile turned guilty.

"Um...I just wanted to talk about Jason."

Annabeth fake groaned. Piper could go _on and on_ about Jason. A while ago Piper had told her that he was coming to her class. He came about a week ago. Jason is a tall, blonde guy with a small scar on his lip (Piper said it was from when he tried to eat a stapler when he was two). As soon as he entered the classroom, he and Percy connected immediately It was the most intense bromance Annabeth had ever seen. Annabeth could swear Jason was dating Percy instead of Piper(but she'd never tell Piper that).

"Ok, what did you want to talk about?" Annabeth said, humouring her.

"Ummm….Things are going really well. Jason is really nice. He took me on a really great date last week to the Museum of Aviation. I don't really care about that stuff but-"

"-I really enjoyed just being with him. I know Piper,you told me three days ago. What did you really want to talk about."

Piper looked at Annabeth with surprise, but her expression slowly grew to show a look of acceptance.

"There's my Annabeth. I knew I couldn't stall for long. I guess I have to tell you know."

"Stall me? Why would you have to stall me? Piper...you're scaring me. Tell me what it is."

"So, Jason told me that Percy came into class with a bunch of injuries."

"Yeah, I know. I was there." Annabeth said tentatively.

"This Percy guy...does he have kind of messy black hair? Green eyes? Tan, muscular build?"

"Yeah…" Annabeth recalled that the only time Piper had ever seen Percy was at the park, and she hadn't known it was him.

"Well, I saw who he was fighting. Out in the alley on Fifth street. I was walking past and I heard yelling…"

"Well, who is it?!" Annabeth turned toward Piper and leaned forward. "Who is it?!"

"I don't think you are going to like the answer…"

"Piper, I swear to God, just tell me."

"Annabeth...It was Luke."

Annabeth didn't know what to say. She leaned back and looked out at the park. _It couldn't be...Not Luke, never Luke. He wouldn't do such a thing._ But Annabeth knew he would. She remembered what he did to that Ethan kid when he had hit on Annabeth. And he did seem to get rather aggressive when she was talking about Percy….

But no. It couldn't be Luke. He is a good person, he's put his violent tendencies behind him. Annabeth couldn't start doubting _her boyfriend._ He loved her. She loved him. That's all that mattered. She had to trust that he thought so too.

"Annabeth…" Piper said, poking Annabeth's arm. Annabeth snapped her head toward Piper and forced a smile.

"Is that so?" She said.

"You're taking this really well…"

"Yeah, I guess I am." Annabeth said. She had decided not to blame Luke for anything until she had proof. Innocent until proven guilty and all. "I actually...have to go right ...Bye." Annabeth got up.

"Bye." Piper said. She stayed seated on the bench. "Annabeth, please don't be stupid. Don't be rash."

"Piper, have you ever known me to be rash?" Annabeth fake laughed.

"No, but…" Piper said uneasily.

"Then you have nothing to worry about." Annabeth said. She said goodbye to Piper one more time and walked in the direction of her next class- math. Although she hated math, sometimes it calmed her down and got her thinking. She could always work through things better in that class, maybe it would help her with this.

;;;

Math didn't help. If anything, it made her more irritated. She had been counting on a breakthrough, but she had nothing. She was disappointed in herself. She didn't know what she was trying to find. There were so many questions in her life that she didn't know where to start. Questions like: What is up with Frank's timer? What is up with _her_ timer? What happened with Calypso? Did Luke really have a fight with Percy?

Annabeth was walking down the road, pondering these questions, turning them over in her mind, when she crashed into something. Or perhaps, someone.

"Ah, shit! What were you're going Chica! You need to- wait. You're that scary girl from my class. Percy's partner." The guy that she had apparently crashed into said. Annabeth didn't know what she should process first, the fact that this was Leo or the fact that he called her scary.

"Ummm…...Hi Leo." Annabeth said. Leo grinned. He looked like a Latino Christmas elf on speed. His hands were tapping his sides to a rhythm only he could hear, his feet were pantomiming walking, as though he was still moving. All of the energy he was emitting made Annabeth feel tired just watching him.

"Annabeth!" Leo's grin got wider, as if that was possible. "Have you seen Hazel around? I've been looking for her forever, but can't seem to find her."

"No, sorry…" Annabeth shook her head. Leo's face seemed to fall, but then his grin was back on his face so Annabeth thought she must have imagined it. "Wait, Leo?"

"Yeah?"

"How did you and Hazel become friends?" Annabeth asked. Leo and Hazel were so different that she had been wondering this for a while. She also hoped that he might explain something about Calypso. How could someone be born with a blank timer?

"Did she not tell you?" Leo asked. Annabeth shook her head. "Oh, well we met in high school and it turns out I look just like her old flame Sammy."

"Sammy?"

"Yeah, some guy Hazel used to like in New Orleans. I tried to hop on the 'Sammy Train' but she's over him so it didn't work. She's totally head over heels for some guy- Frank. He hates me. Don't know why though."

Annabeth chose not to mention that most guys don't want people flirting with their girlfriends in front of them. She was more focused on trying to get him to say something about _his_ old flame.

"But I thought you were with some girl named Calypso?" _So much for subtle._

"Um, yeah. Did Hazel hell you about that?" Annabeth nodded. "Yeah, well...not at that time. Um, I-I have to go. It was nice talking to you." Leo's face was pained, as though he didn't like thinking about his old girlfriend. Annabeth didn't blame him. She felt bad for mentioning her, especially because she didn't know Leo that much. She hoped she could get closer to him, not just to know more, but also because he seemed like a nice, smart and good person.

"Ok, it was nice talking to you too." She said. Leo smiled and walked away from her and toward the engineering department. She went the opposite way, towards biology, not because that's where she needed to go, just because she felt awkward about going the same way as Leo after they said goodbye to each other.

As she was walking she saw Percy come out of one of the buildings. While she pondered whether or not she should say hello or if she should just keep her head down and pass, he saw her and started waking his arm above his head.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled across the throngs of students leaving his class. Several of them looked up at him and then at her. Annabeth hid from the unwanted attention in her scarf, but Percy seemed to not mind at all.

He walked up to her and she stopped before him. She looked up at his already grinning face, just glad to see her, and felt something deep in her gut, a feeling she couldn't quite place.

"Hi Percy." She said quietly. For some reason, whenever she was in a loud situation or with a loud person she seemed to get quieter and quieter. Unfortunately (fortunately?) this made Percy lean closer to her face to hear her.

"Hey, Annabeth, I can barely hear you." he said. "Do you want to go someplace quieter?"

Annabeth bobbed her head up and down quickly. Percy took of, taking large steps in the direction of the park they had met at. Annabeth had a hard time keeping up and trotted besides him. _No wonder it has always been so hard to catch up to him._

Finally they reached the park. All of the leaves had already fallen off of the trees and the grass was completely dead because of the morning frost. Annabeth recalled that it had been much prettier when she had met Percy. The trees had been full of colour and the grass was still green. _It was also a lot warmer_ Annabeth thought, stuffing her hands deeper into her pockets.

They sat together on a bench. Percy faced Annabeth and tilted his head to the side while giving her a lopsided grin. Annabeth noticed how fast his wounds had healed. His black eye had mostly faded to a gross colour of yellow (but Annabeth knew enough medical stuff to know that was a good sign) and his cuts had all scabbed over and were visibly healing.

"You healed really fast" She commented.

"That's because my friend's boyfriend is a med student. Will is really good with this kind of thing."

"Will? As in Will Solace?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, do you know him?"

"Yeah, I do. I used to go to camp with him. He always said he wanted to come to this school and become a doctor. Good for him." Annabeth remembered Will. He was really nice.

"Yeah….speaking of," Percy said. "I think I know someone who could help us with our timer story."

"Really?" Annabeth said. She tried not to look to excited, but if this person knew about timer's then he might be able to help Annabeth with her predicament.

"Yeah, his name is Nico di Angelo. He is Will's boyfriend."

"Nico di Angelo...I think Hazel's mentioned him a few times."

"That's because he is her half brother." Percy informed.

"God damn, it's like everyone is connected."

"What?" Percy's eyebrows scrunched together in the middle.

"Oh, nothing...it's just kind of weird. Jaso is Piper's new boyfriend and suddenly he is in our class. Leo went to go to Hazel's school, Nico is her half brother, Will is his boyfriend and used to go to camp with me. Evn you used to go to school with Hazel. It's like we're in a bad fanfiction written by a fifteen year old girl. The only person who doesn't fit into the equation is Luke." Annabeth said. She noticed that when she mentioned Luke, Percy got a look on his face, a kind of defensive, scary look. Annabeth wondered if it had to do with their fight. _Their possible fight._

"I mean...I guess so. I don't know about...what do you call it? _Fanfiction._ But it is a pretty interesting coincidence."

"Yeah….." Annabeth's phone beeped. She took it out of the pocket of her jeans and looked at her texts.

 **Luke- im going on a business trip for a month. Lets go on a date tonight before i go**

Annabeth unlocked her phone and texted her response.

 **Ok, I'll see you at eight? At the Italian place near the aquarium?**

He answered yes right away. She smiled and closed her phone. She looked up at Percy who was watching her curiously.

"Sorry, my boyfriend."

"Luke." He said it as a statement instead of a question, and a kind of hardness in his voice that made Annabeth shiver. Annabeth knew there were rumours (just Piper) that said Percy and Luke fought, but Percy's expression told her that they met before, whether recently or in the past, and it had not been under good circumstances.

"Yeah…" Annabeth was silent for a minute, trying to look for a topic to change the subject. "Hey, do you want to go to the aquarium?"

"What, as a date?" Percy teased, giving her a mischievous smile. She shoved him into the bench.

;;;

Percy's face was distorted from the odd light of the giant fish tanks. They sat watching the kelp forest display sway in the artificial current.

"You know, I am studying to be a marine biologist." Percy said. He hadn't turned and he said it so softly that it took he a second to realize that it was him speaking.

"Ever since it was a little kid, I always loved the sea," he continued. "My mum says I got it from my dad, but I never knew him. Lot at sea on a fishing trip. Ironic, huh?" Now he turned to look at her, as if daring her to agree with him.

"I wanted to be a doctor." Annabeth said. "I wanted to do something that mattered and Will talked about it so much that it seemed like a good idea."

"But what happened?" Percy asked. Annabeth watched the silhouette of people against the light of the display.

"I realized that I needed more structure. More stability. I chose to be an architect because I needed to build something that will outlast me, something that will stand strong when I am not. With my screwed up family I guess I want to build something permanent,something that will be there long after I am gone."

"Wow."

Annabeth smiled softly. She didn't even tell him about how she wanted to have a lasting impression because she knew she wouldn't have a lasting life. How her timer had ripped apart her family and how she was just desperate for something that would never leave her. If he knew that 'Wow' wouldn't be his response.

Annabeth looked down at her timer. It glowed slightly in the dark room and she could just make out her numbers. Like every other time she was with Percy, her numbers changed and her life was expanded.

She looked back at Percy and noticed that he was following her movements. He looked between Annabeth's face and he timer, but then when he noticed she was watching he opted to look at his hands. She looked back towards the floor to ceiling tank. Annabeth adjusted her seating, but knocked knees with Percy. She hadn't realized how close they had been sitting, sharing the same air, the same heat. (Annabeth didn't want to sound creepy, but Percy was really warm)

Annabeth cleared her throat and stood up. Percy stood up too and plastered on his usual smile. She got out her phone and checked the time. 6:30. It was a lot later than she had thought.

"Shit!" She whispered.

"What is it?"

"Oh, nothing. I just need to go get ready for my date with Luke."

Get ready? You already look great now." Percy said. They made their way through the aquarium, finally stepping out into the sun and blinking the spots out of their eyes. Annabeth tried to ignore the butterflies that fluttered around in her chest when he said that. _There's that weird feeling again._

Percy walked Annabeth back to her dorm. Annabeth thought that under different circumstances, this would be considered a date. Percy was a lot nicer than she first though he would be, and she was glad of that. She could always use more friends.

Annabeth waved goodbye to Percy from behind the glass dorms of her dorm building. He waved back at her. She turned around and started up the stair to her dorm room to get ready for her date with Luke. She tried to think about what she would wear, if she would finally let Silena do her makeup for her, but nagging her at the back of her mind was one thought:

 _If it was Luke who beat up Percy, I would know now for sure._

 **A/N: Ok, that was that chapter… Tell me what you want to happen next, what I could change about my writing, etc. Also, I want to apologise about my transitions in previous chapters. I am copy pasting and something that is in google docs does not appear in fanfiction so sorry if you were confused. Please fave, follow and most certainly review.**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hi! So, I put this in my below author's note, but if you have anything in here (character deaths, etc.) or any triggers, please tell me so I can put a warning at the beginning of the chapter. I want everyone to be happy when reading this (well...not happy…). I want to answer a question asked by quite a few 'guest's and by PunksNotDeadYouAre. Are Percy and Annabeth going to end up together/make this a percabeth fic! Well...it is percabeth, as will be strongly hinted by this chapter, and will they actually end up together? You'll have to wait and see. Then sonoferebus for the Percy v Luke. One more thing. I am not sure if I am supposed to do this- like is it proper fanfiction etiquette to respond to comments? Tell me if you want me to start replying you you personally instead of posting in in the a/n.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

"Hey, babe." Luke stood up from the table at the cafe they decided to meet at. Annabeth feigned a smile. It was easier now, after having taken a few minutes outside to catch her breath.

;;Earlier;;

 _Annabeth looked into the reversed camera on her phone in the receding light. She opened her eyes, trying to unstick the gobs of mascara Silena had put on her. It's not that she looked bad, she just couldn't see very well. She had decided to let Silena do her makeup since the airline had been acting pretty down lately. Even after giving Annabeth a makeover she still seemed sad. Annabeth had left, saying she hoped she felt better. Silena barely managed a smile._

 _Annabeth adjusted her dress, pulling it further down her leg. Silena had coaxed Annabeth into it, but it was a little short for Luke's taste. She closed her phone, deciding her visibility was good enough. As she rounded the corner and saw the orange glow of the cafe. The owners had tried to make it look like the painting by Vincent Van Gogh and seeing the art reference made her smile every time. Well...not every time. She wasn't smiling now. The strangeness with Silena still hadn't made her forget what she was going to see or not see tonight. Would Luke be covered in bruises and scratches from a fight with Percy, or would he be clean without a bruise on his body just like Annabeth expected (or did she)._

 _She walked into the overhang of the restaurant, warming up at the friendly atmosphere. Couples dined outside, leaning into their conversations. Annabeth was suddenly reminded of her and Percy at the aquarium. She pushed that thought to the back of her mind._

 _Annabeth peered in the window of the cafe and sweeped the tables, searching for Luke's blonde hair and a scar on the side of his face. Finally she saw him, sitting in the far left of the cafe, back against a wall like he was expecting attack. Upon closer observation, Luke's face was completely clear of cuts, bruises and bumps._

 _Annabeth gasped. A couple behind her glanced up in concern, but she waved their gaze away with a smile. She leaned against a tree out of sight of the people inside the cafe. She caught her breath. Annabeth didn't know why she was so shocked. She trusted Luke, right? Then why did she expect his to be all scraped up from a fight with Percy. Why did she expect him to be so...good?_

 _Annabeth willed herself to stop breathing hard. She was being ridiculous. Luke was a good person. He wouldn't do something like that to Percy. Maybe Piper had been mistaken. Maybe the guy she had seen wasn't Luke. Maybe it was just some other, horrible, dirtbag of a guy. Because it couldn't be Luke. (At least that's what Annabeth told herself.)_

 _She plastered on a smile and entered the cafe. The couple that had been looking at her had gone back to their conversation. She walked toward Luke in the corner. He rose to meet her._

 _;;_ present;;

Annabeth sat down, opposite of Luke. She looked at him a bit closer, and now she could see a few bruises. One on his leg and a few on his left arm, but they were not anything unusual. Annabeth chose to ignore them. Luke obviously had not been the one fighting with Percy.

"I already ordered, but when the waiter comes around, you can ask him then." Luke said. Annabeth politely nodded.

"So, how are you, how have your friends been...how's the project with...whatshisface going?" Luke said. "Tell me _everything."_ Annabeth felt unsettled by his shit-eating grin.

"Fine...I'm good, everyone's good. The project with _Percy_ is going well. We're almost done with it." She said. Annabeth was certain that Luke hadn't forgotten Percy's name, he had a great memory when it came to things like that. She guessed that he was the reason he wanted to talk in the first place.

"Is that so." He said. "And how's Percy? Is everything good?" _Did Luke know about the fight?_ Was _he a part of it?_

"He...got into a fight." Annabeth said uncertainly.

"A fight, huh. He doesn't seem to be that great of a person." Annabeth wanted to defend Percy, but she knew what was happening. Luke was jealous and when he heard about the fight from someone he must have seen it as an opportunity to make Percy look bad in front of Annabeth. She knew that if she protested, it would only get worse. It happened every time she met a guy- classmate, friend or acquaintance, it didn't matter.

"I guess not." Annabeth heard herself say. Putting Percy down felt sour on her lips. _At least he won't know about it._

"You two have gotten pretty close, wouldn't you say?" Luke said slyly.

"Not really."

"A friend of mine said they saw you at the aquarium." Annabeth recoiled. Was Luke _stalking_ her, or having someone else stalk her? Or was he telling the truth- maybe someone really just recognised her and said so to Luke. But still… She just got back from the aquarium about two hours ago.

"Yeah, we were just doing research...for our project. It's underwater themed." She decided to let his previous comment slide, but she was still unnerved. She was still confused as to why she felt the need to lie to him. She had never done it before, so why now?

"Underwater themed? Sound's interesting. I can't wait to read it." Annabeth forced another smile. She was doing that a lot lately. _I'm going to have to tell Percy that out story is now underwater themed._ If Luke was going to read it, she couldn't let him know that she lied to him.

"Yup. I'm sure you'll like it. So, where exactly are you going?" Annabeth asked. Luke leaned back in his chair. _Happy to be back in his element- talking about himself._ Annabeth started. Since when had she ever thought of Luke in such a negative way?

"I'm just going to Paris." He said. "You know, just to write about the mourning of the recent dead in the attacks."

Annabeth engaged him in conversation about France until the waited came. She ordered her food and drink, and continued her and Luke's conversation. Annabeth was confused as to why she was so elated when she found out that Luke would be gone for a whole month. Shouldn't a girlfriend be sad about that?

"But it's ok. I have a surprise for when I come back." He said, smiling.

"Ooh, what is it?" Annabeth asked.

"Don't be stupid." He chided her. "If I tell you, it won't be a surprise." Annabeth mentally slapped herself upside the head. _Of course._ She just really loved knowing surprises, but she knew Luke didn't like her acting like an idiot.

Luke leaned over the table and took her hands. He rubbed her fingers and then stopped to rub on just one- her ring finger.

"Don't worry. I'm sure you'll love it." He said, smiling softly, his scar glinting strongly in the candle light. _No...he isn't going to-_

Annabeth's thoughts were interrupted when the waiter brought their food. He set them both down in front of them and Luke dropped her hand.

"I'm starving." Luke said. "Let's eat."

Luke dug into his food, but Annabeth sat completely still. If she was right...no. She couldn't think about it. She picked at her food. When Luke asked if she was hungry she told him it was just a loss of appetite.

;;;

"Ok, Annabeth. I guess you'll see me in a month or so. Goodbye." Annabeth and Luke stood on the pavement outside of the cafe. The night had quickly turned cold and dark and Annabeth shivered against her will. Luke seemed to notice, but said nothing.

"Bye." She said, teeth chattering. Luke moved in for a kiss, but Annabeth awkwardly moved out of the way, so he settled for a hug.

"I'll miss you." He stated. Annabeth remained silent.

"You'll miss me too, won't you?" Luke asked, knowing what the answer would be. Annabeth hated this. Him being able to draw answers out of her as easy as one two three.

One

Annabeth lingered in the silence. It wasn't that she didn't mind saying she would miss him. She probably would. Just the fact that he feels the need to force her to say it- it was like he had not self esteem, and no faith in her devotion. She was sure it was a control issue.

Two

Annabeth wondered what would happen if she just didn't answer. She supposed he'd bitch about it on the phone and when he got back. Ever since she had first met him he'd always been...delicate. Maybe that was why he needed to have total control of the situation. Why he had always needed control of those who love him, those who would willingly stay if he didn't force them. His parents had abandoned him, body and soul, his best friend and first love left him when she tried to remove her timer. Each thing just added to the cracks in his facade. Maybe he thought that if he didn't have total control over everything...he'd break. If she didn't answer...she couldn't risk it.

Three

"I'll miss you too." Annabeth said behind clenched teeth. And just like that, it was over. Luke smiled again and got into the cab waiting for him that would take him back to his apartment to pack. She waved and watched him go.

Annabeth tried to ignore the insistent fact that Luke hadn't even _offered_ to walk her back to her dorm.

;;;

Annabeth didn't go back to her dorm. She knew what would be waiting for her. A somber roommate and an even somber-er (not a word but who cares) bed- complete with ice cream and a sappy movie. Annabeth didn't know why, but she was feeling especially romantically devastated- yes, devastated. She didn't know why, but everything seemed unstable now. Maybe it was her ticking timer or maybe Luke's instant new internship, but she felt as though they were standing on one of those sand timers that you get in the dentist office.

Annabeth knew the only thing- or the only person- that could help. She called Piper.

"Hello? Annabeth?" Piper picked up on the first ring. Her voice came through scratchy and tired, like she had been woken up. Annabeth checked her watch. It was only 9:30, but Piper, believe it or not, was an early sleeper.

"Piper? Hi. Can I come over? I need to talk." Annabeth said. Piper seemed to perk up at that.

"Sure, of course. The door will be open when you get here."

;;;

Annabeth stepped through Piper's dim apartment. It was considerably cleaner from the last time she was here, probably because she had Jason coming over more often than not. Annabeth navigated herself around the apartment until she got to Piper's room. Inside, Piper sat on her bed holding a pillow in sweats and an old t-shirt that hung loosely off her body.

"Hey."

"Hey." Piper patted the area next to her. "Sit and spill. What did you want to talk about?" Annabeth walked over and sat tentatively on the bed.

"It's about Luke." Piper's eyes widened and she opened her mouth to say something but then closed it again and gestured to Annabeth to say something.

"It's just...I feel like we're just not working anymore. I don't know, maybe it is because we are reacting to our time a lot differently, maybe it is because of his stupid new job. Maybe it's because we're both going to be...y'know, in what six...seven months?"

"Six months and twenty three days." Piper supplied.

"How do you know that and I don't?" Piper shrugged.

"You know...you're imminent death is not exactly the best thing to build a relationship on." Annabeth knew she was right, but what else draws two people closer? She and Luke must have been destined to be together, to _die_ together. Destiny. _Hah._

"Annabeth," Piper continued. "Are you sure you aren't still hung up on that guy from the park? If having the same time of death is the only connection you and Luke have...having that taken away is a big deal."

"It's not the only connection we have." Annabeth muttered.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Luke and I have loads in common. We- we...love each other."

" _Annabeth."_ Annabeth knew Piper could tell that she was avoiding the question.

"Alright….what about that guy you've been talking about. Percy or something." Annabeth sucked in her breath. She still hadn't told Piper that it had been Percy in the park. She hadn't even introduced them- she physically avoided introducing them. She was too scared that Piper would recognise him. And there was no way- _no way_ that Percy has been messing with her head so much. _No way._

"No...it's none of that. I just...I don't know. I thought I really loved him, but everything he does annoys me, gets on my nerves. I feel like I have been delusional this whole time." Annabeth said helplessly. Piper gives her a knowing look.

"Annabeth...you don't like him," Piper said. She waved off Annabeth's attempts to protest. "Sure, sure, you love him, but it's not the same thing. You can love someone and be completely fed up with them. Just because you love someone doesn't mean you have to like them. And I think, at this point, you are starting to see that. Your relationship has stopped being emotion and had stated being habit."

Annabeth stared at the blank space on Piper's wall. She didn't know what to say. She knew Piper was right, but oh God did she hate to admit it..

"So what do you suggest I do?" She whispered, her voice coming out scratchy and raw. She had never been confronted by the idea of...not being with Luke. She remembered his promise over ten years ago. _Family._

"Don't date him." Piper said softly. "Please." Annabeth raised her head. She tucked her hands under her knees and pulled them to her chest.

"Piper, you know I can't-"

"I never said you couldn't see him."

"I just...I can't leave him. I promised." Piper moved her hand over Annabeth's.

"I know. Just...think about it. Know when to step away when something gets too painful."

Annabeth rested her head on her knees. Her curly blonde hair spilled over her shoulder and shielded the tears sliding down her face from her friend. ' _Strong people don't cry.'_ Her mother used to say before disappearing into her room and dissolving into hysteric sobbing that Annabeth could hear from her room as she stared at her timer. ' _Why me?_ ' She asked her father once, before he remarried. ' _Some people were born with tragedy in their blood.'_ He used to reply.

That's what Annabeth was.

A fucking tragedy.

It was a low night, even for Annabeth's standards.

;;;

Annabeth woke up groggily on Piper's couch. She guessed she had accidentally spent the night. She looked at the clock on the floor next to the wall it had previously fallen off of.

"Shit." Shitshitshitshitshit. She was an hour late for her first class. English.

"Shitshitshitshitshit." She said, getting to her feet and looking for her bag.

"Wow, Annabeth. I can't decide if you are really fucked or if you are trying out for a new form of beat-boxing. Should we be harmonizing right now?" Piper said, sticking her head out from the kitchen. Annabeth shot her a glare before tripping her way out of the apartment.

Annabeth ran across the campus desperately, a chorus of swear words sailing through her head. She quickly tied her hair in a knot on the top of her head and wiped the smudged mascara from last night from under her eyes. She knew she looked horrible, but honestly...never mind, she did care. Annabeth didn't know why, she had no one to impress in this class. Just Jason, who would hear what happened from Piper, Hazel, who would never judge her, Leo, who she was hoping _not_ to impress and Percy, who… Annabeth didn't know out Percy. She thought about what Piper said last night. ' _What about that guy you've been talking about. Percy or something.'_ It was impossible. Not after her first impression of him. Percy was loud, obnoxious, egotistical...normal. Percy was off-limits. She couldn't drag him into her fucked up life.

So...no one to impress. Annabeth felt slightly sad at that prospect. She pushed that feeling to the back of her mind. Annabeth stopped rubbing her eyes before she stepped into the lecture hall.

"Annabeth, we can all see you. There's no use to crawl in here." Mrs. Cavan said. Annabeth straightened from her crouched, bent over position and ran to her seat. Mrs. Cavan continued with her lecture while Annabeth got settled. Percy leaned towards her.

"Hey...are you ok?" He said. He looked concerned. Annabeth must look worse than she thought. Annabeth could smell the chlorine on him. It was intoxicating. _Off- limits._

"I'm fine." She choked. He grinned and then leaned back in his seat. Annabeth couldn't concentrate for the rest of class. She fiddled with her timer and tapped the beats of the counting down seconds on the table. Several times she caught Percy looking at her, confused. She rolled her sleeve down on top of it.

Annabeth knew it must be weird. To him, her timer had always said the same thing. She was going to have a long and prosperous life. Obsessing over times are not something normal people do. She tried to refrain herself. She wouldn't want him to suspect anything. She doubted that he could suspect anything though, he always saw the best in everyone.

"Okay, everyone. I can see none of you are really in it, to be honest, neither am I, so I am just going to give you some work time. But remember to stay around until the end of class so I can give you your homework." Mrs. Cavan called from the front of the room. There was a scrape of chairs as people turned towards their partners. Annabeth found Percy looking at her, pulling out his laptop for them to look at.

"So, I had a few more ideas about what we could do and…" Annabeth had stopped noticing what he was saying. Who knew his smile was so infectious? She had to get her heart from out of her throat or else who knew what she might do or say.

"Actually, if you don't mind, I'm going to work on some of my other homework. My heart isn't really in it today." Annabeth said, cutting him off. His smile dipped a fraction of an inch.

"Ok… I'll just email you the details." He said. Annabeth nodded and pulled some of the papers she had for her maths class out of her bag. She stared at the paper, intently aware of Percy clacking away on the keys on his computer next to her. She tried to focus on her math, but deemed it hopeless. She doodled little pictures of buildings and fish in between the equations on her paper. She didn't even notice that Percy's typing had stopped until she felt a hand on her own.

It was there for barely a second. Barely long enough for Annabeth to feel the warmth of it, for her to feel the insistent fluttering sensation in her stomach. Percy moved his hand over her's for a second and then drew it away.

"I guess your heart isn't really in any of your schoolwork today." He noted. Annabeth noticed a faint blush high on his cheeks. She managed to whisper a weak 'yeah' before she went back to her drawings.

"Hey, Annabeth. I don't know if it's really any of my business but, are you ok? You seem really...off today." He looked down at her gently. So maybe Percy was more perceptive than she initially thought. But her mental dilemma wasn't exactly hard to spot. Annabeth couldn't go one second without thinking about her conversation last night. About leaving Luke, him not being right for her and, the most prevailing one, was Percy any part of the reason?

Annabeth wanted to say no. Of course not. Percy was...well, Percy. He was loud, obnoxious, a hard worker, nice, sarcastic. Admittedly handsome. Annabeth and him had been getting along pretty well over the last month and half that they had been working on the project. She had been glad when Mrs. Cavan decided to extend her idea and make them write a mini novel, not because of the workload, goodness no, but because it meant more time with Percy. She liked hanging out with him. They clicked. He had become a pretty good friend. Not as close as Piper, or even Silena, but close. If their _friendship_ could drive a wedge between Luke and Annabeth's relationship...then she was going to have to apologise for all of those times when she had called him out on his jealous bullshit. Obviously he had reason to be an…

Asshole.

Luke was an asshole, there was no denying it. But he was an asshole with an expiration date and she couldn't leave him to face his own mortality on his own. Annabeth wanted to slam her head on the desk, but she guessed that Percy probably wouldn't like that.

She didn't know what to say to his question. Was she okay? Simple answer- no. She felt like she had some kind of shit YA novel going on in her head. She needed to make some decisions. She would stay with Luke until….her birthday, she would not tell anyone about her changing timer, and lastly, any tiny anything that she might have for Percy was going to be wrapped up and buried within the deepest part of her mind. Three things. That was it. That was her promise to herself.

"Annabeth?" Percy asked, reminding her of his question. _Are you ok?_

"Long answer or short answer?"

"Long answer."

"Noooooooooo." Annabeth said sarcastically. Percy cracked a smile.

"Later...do you want to go somewhere?" Percy asked. She raised an eyebrow. "You seem pretty sad, or at least deep in thought. I think you could use a break." Annabeth remained silent.

"I'm not like, hitting on you or anything." He said quickly, after the awkward silence. "I don't want to get on the bad side of your boyfriend again." A dark look passed over Percy's face. Again….wait. Again?

"Again?" She pried. Percy groaned.

"It's nothing." Annabeth wondered if it could do with the fight. Maybe Luke had been there. Maybe he had just let someone else handle the dirty work.

"Tell me."

"I don't want to ruin the image you have of your boyfriend."

"Too late." Annabeth said before she could stop herself. She slapped her hands over her mouth. "Shit."

"Shit," Percy said. "The word of the day." He smiled at her and something inside Annabeth flip-flopped. She grinned back.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" He asked her as the bell rang. Annabeth got a text notification, but didn't bother to look down at her screen. _Probably from Luke._

"Let's go." She said, smiling.

Five minutes in and she already broke one of her promises.

 **A/N: Hey, y'all! Happy June! So that was the chapter! Pretty angsty, at least to me. Since this is a story about death and romance (focusing on the death part right now), tell me if you need anything tagged. I would be happy to put something at the beginning of each chapter. Tell me in the comments or DM me. No judgement, no questioning. Please, I want everyone to enjoy this as much as I am. On other matters, tell me what you think should happen next. Where should Percy and Annabeth go? Why is Silena so melancholy? What did Luke text Annabeth? Will Annabeth break up with Luke? Tell me what you think in the comments. Don't forget to fave, follow and review!**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hey y'all! This is going to be a kind of short chapter, sorry! I was going to make this very Percabeth, but I got a little carried away and...well, you'll see. If you are wondering where they live...I don't really have a set place for it. Imagine like...Monterey and San Francisco kind of scenery but with a more northeastern U.S climate. Ok… Muse45- your theory was 1/3rd right, hryepuru- same with you ;), and if there is anyone else, I am sorry if I didn't get to you, I am very tired, very stressed, and very broke, so cute me some slack. I love all of you. Anyway, enjoy this chapter.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth was sitting in Percy's car. _His car._ Annabeth didn't really know anyone who had a car, or at least not one that they used. You never really needed one on the campus, you could walk almost anywhere and you could take the bus for public transportation. Annabeth had her driver's licence but she hadn't driven anywhere for the three years she had been here.

Annabeth tried not to _melt_ into a puddle of envy and admiration while she rubbed her hands on the leather dashboard. The car wasn't very nice. Actually, it was a hunk of junk. But it didn't matter. If it meant she could get away, she would gladly step into Charon's ferry. Cars gave you the freedom you just couldn't get from public transportation.

"You like it?" Percy laughed. She nodded furiously. The inside of the car grew silent. Annabeth put her hands on her lap. Percy turned to look at her from the driver's seat, green eyes shining and black hair tousled.

"So, where do you want to go?" He said, grinning. Annabeth rarely saw a time when he wasn't grinning. She leaned back into the chair and looked out the window.

"I don't know...I just kinda want to escape, y'know?" Annabeth saw Percy nodding in the reflection in the window.

"I know exactly the place." He said. He put the key in the ignition and turned. The car made a low growl that quickly turned into a purr. He switched out of park and pulled out of his parking space. She drove down the street and got off of an exit ramp and towards the freeway. _Where is he taking me?_

;;;

Annabeth watched the scenery zoom past her. They had long ago left the college campus, and even the city. Now, the only thing outside were greenish-yellow rolling hills and evergreen trees.

"You aren't taking me to your secret dungeon to kill me are you?" She said. Percy jumped and the car swerved. He set it back on track.

"I forgot you were there for a minute. You were so quiet…" He says, not taking his eyes off of the road. He glanced over at her for a second. "Maybe I am taking you to my dungeon. It's pretty far out there." Annabeth snorted.

"But seriously, where are we going?" She asked.

"I'm not telling." Annabeth groaned.

"Why not?"

"Because I want it to be a surprise." He said, slyly.

"You're impossible." She groaned. Percy just laughed.

Neither of them spoke for the rest of the car ride. Annabeth watched the terrain outside change as they drove farther. The hills became shorter, the trees became small coastal shrubs and bushes. Eventually the hills were replaced with sand dunes covered with small pink flowers and succulents.

"We're going to the ocean." She said. Percy remained silent.

At last Annabeth was able to see the ocean. The sky was grey and it was reflected on the ocean's surface. There were no surfers, the winter waters too cold for even the most avid ones. Percy continued driving along the coast. Annabeth watched the waves crash against the sand and the seagulls flock on the beach.

Eventually Percy turned into an empty parking lot next to a large expanse of beach. He parked the car and got out. Annabeth got out of the car while Percy searched his car for something. Finally he found it and slammed the back. He looked up and smiled at Annabeth. _Off Limits._

Percy lifted something up. A blanket. He walked toward one of the sand dunes and laid it on the ground. Annabeth followed him and sat down. He sat next to her.

"The ocean has always been somewhere I go when I want to escape." He said, without looking at her. Annabeth stared out at the grey sea and sky. She shivered despite herself. Percy tossed her a jacket she didn't know he had.

"My dad died out at sea," He said, turning his green eyes at her. They seemed oddly colourful in the grey landscape. "At least that's what everyone says. That's what my mother told me. But sometimes I think he just left. He just wanted to escape from everything and so he just left." Percy sounded sad. Annabeth wanted to comfort him, but she didn't know how.

"My best friend went crazy." Annabeth began. "She figured if she couldn't comfort him, or tell him about her timer, she would at least tell him about Thalia. Annabeth could feel him giving her his full attention. "Well, not crazy." She corrected herself.

"She didn't go crazy, she went rogue. Her name was Thalia. Thalia Grace, but she didn't like to go by her last name. She was...something. Thalia was different. You could say she was always in a state of teenage rebellion. She ran away from home when she was pretty young, after her brother disappeared. That's all she ever told me. Well, when she was older she got this crazy notion that timers were evil. She read all of those stupid conspiracy theories about them. She protested in rallies. I followed her, me and Luke. Whatever she did, we were with her. Until she went too far." Annabeth took a deep breath. She hadn't talked about it with anyone for years. Percy put his hand on her shoulder, as if to reassure her,

"She tried to remove her timer, Percy. She-she...she's in a coma. At a hospital in the next city. Five years, Percy, five years. I haven't spoken to her...not even about her, in five years. Luke wouldn't allow it. He doesn't...he doesn't like bringing it up." Percy enveloped Annabeth in a hug.

"Shhhh. It's okay. Just...let it out. Luke isn't here so just...let it out."

"She was so stupid!" Annabeth sobbed angrily. She felt like a mess, rubbing her tears and snot into Percy's shirt. "Why did she do that?! She didn't even have a bad time! Why would she...why would she leave us. Why would she leave me. Family...we promised." Percy pulled her closer and Annabeth snuggled embarrassingly into his warm chest. She looked up at his face, but he didn't look annoyed, he didn't look disgusted or angry. He just smiled softly at her.

"It's okay, it's okay." He whispered into her ear over and over like a mantra.

;;;

Annabeth stopped sniffling a while ago, but Percy didn't let go of her. The sun was starting to set over the ocean, casting pink and purple hues in the sky. Percy's face was illuminated so he almost looked angelic. Annabeth figured she probably looked like that too. An angel who had been crying for an hour. Quite the sight.

Annabeth thought of a question that had been at the back of her mind for who knows how long.

"Percy," She said. He looked at her. "Do you think the timers are good or bad?"

Percy focused on the dying light. He stared at the sunset for a while before answering.

"I think….it is circumstantial. Timers are neither good or bad, they are only perceived that way by the people who have them." Annabeth sometimes forgot how smart Percy could be.

"Honestly think people should just forget about them. The time you have is the time you have, whether or not you have the timers. You just have to make the most of it. People who obsess over their time are wasting their life." He looked at her closely. "Why?"

"I...was just wondering." Annabeth untangled herself from Percy's arms. As someone who had spent her life obsessing over her time and had had her whole life fucked up by her timer, she found that although in theory, Percy was right, she couldn't agree with him.

"But what about how people act? I- I mean someone I know- had their life completely fucked over because people treated them differently because of their timer."

"But that's the people who are flawed. The timer in itself is harmless, but is is people and their fear of their own mortality that makes them bad. I never really cared about my timer." He said.

"Yeah, but that's because yours is normal!" Annabeth said sharply, pushing herself away. She couldn't argue that he was wrong, but he seemed to be being a bit insensitive. It was much easier to blame the timer for her problems than accept that she had surrounded herself with flawed people.

"What, and you're not?!" Percy said angrily. Annabeth stood up and so did he. The stars started coming out above them

"I-I am." Annabeth said quietly, pulling her long sleeve over her now glowing timer.

"I'm sorry if I offended you or something," Percy said. "I just don't understand why the only thing that matters in someone's life is how much of it they have less." Percy looked up at the stars.

"Why count seconds when you could count stars?"

;;;

Annabeth looked at the reflection of Percy mumbling the words to some popular hit song that played on the radio in the passenger seat window. The outside was completely pitch black; she couldn't see a thing.

Annabeth had zoned out when she realized that Percy had noticed her watching him. He smiled a huge, devious smile.

"What am I, a basilisk? You know you can look at me head on. I won't kill you." He chuckled. Annabeth blushed, but looked at him like he said.

"I didn't know you liked Harry Potter." Annabeth said.

"Yeah, I do. I'm not completely out of the loop, y'know. I've seen all of the movies." He said proudly. Annabeth groaned and facepalmed. That was it. She couldn't be friends with him anymore. She'd spilled her guts, gotten her snot on her shirt, and made him drive her around like a chauffeur, but this...this was too much.

"Oh God," She said. "You're one of _those_ people."

"What do you mean?"

"I can't be friends with you anymore. This is it." She said sarcastically.

"Wait...friends?"

"I mean, yeah, I consider you as my friend, but, um, if you don't want to then-" She stuttered. Oh god. She had only been joking when she had thought it before.

"No, no. Friends is...perfect." Annabeth felt relieved.

"You do know there are books though…" She asked.

"Oh my god, OF COURSE I KNOW THERE ARE BOOKS!"

"Then...why didn't you read them? If you like the movies so much…?" Percy was quiet for a second.

"I...really don't like reading." He said.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm dyslexic. Reading is really hard, so I just don't do it." He said. He sounded crestfallen.

"I'm dyslexic too." Annabeth shared. "Mine just isn't that bad." Percy lightened up. "Why don't you try autobooks?" She asked him.

"That doesn't really count though."

"Hell yeah it counts." She says. "Audiobooks are amazing. Of course they count."

Percy glanced at her smiling. Annabeth reminded him to keep his eyes on the road and he laughed but looked at the road immediately. Percy and Annabeth joked away the previous tenseness on the whole drive back. By the time they got back to the campus, Annabeth no longer felt sad or hopeless or angry. The only thing she felt was that unnamable feeling in her gut, one that she was able to identify now, but wouldn't dare say the name of. _The feeling that shall not be named._ Annabeth smiled despite herself.

Annabeth looked at the clock on Percy's stereo when they pulled up in the parking lot closest to her dorm building. _11:47_. _Shit._ Silena is definitely going to chew her out for being back so late. She was going to hear about this for ages.

After she said goodbye to Percy, after convincing him that ' _no Percy, I do not need you to walk me to my dorm, you can literally see the building from here.",_ did she finally leave. She tried to be as silent as possible when she unlocked the door to her dorm building and pressed the up button for the lift. She tapped her foot while she waited. Finally she heard a ding and the doors opened. She went inside and pressed her floor. When she got to her floor she realized she didn't really have to be quiet. It was college. There were still people awake, smoking weed and blaring music from their rooms. Even so, she tried to be as silent as possible when she opened her door and went in.

Annabeth expected Silena to be asleep. That's what she thought at first, until she noticed the soft whimpers coming from the pile of blankets on Silena's bed. The pile shook as though someone was crying. Annabeth closed the door behind her and walked up to Silena's bed.

"Silena, Honey...are you alright?" She asked, tentatively. The pile of blankets shook in a way that Annabeth guessed was no. "What's wrong?" Annabeth said softly, tugging on one corner of the blankets.

Silena threw the blankets off of herself. Her long, perfect hair was in a rat's nest, her eyes were puffy and she had mascara streaks on her face. He eyes were red and bloodshot like she had been crying for a really long time.

"Oh, Silena, sweetie," Annabeth said. "Do you want to tell me what's wrong?" Silena looked at her like she wasn't really seeing her. Her eyes seemed broken somehow, like shattered glass. _Maybe she is broken. What could have happened?_

"He's gone!" She said, her voice breaking and the words coming out in a devastating sob.

" _Wha-"_ Annabeth said. Silena's eyes moved as if she was searching for something. Or someone. And suddenly Annabeth understood.

"Charlie...he's _gone_."

 **A/N: Yo! Here is my chapter. Sorry if there are errors, it is two thirty in the morning where I am and I am so tired. *Yawns* Anyway...first death! Can you answer these questions? How did Beckendorf die? What Silena there? What will Silena do? How will Annabeth react. What did Luke's text say? When will Annabeth come to terms with her feeling for Percy? What will happen with Thalia? I am really tired, so I am going to go to sleep now. Please fave, follow and review!**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just want to let y'all know that I am going away for a camping trip and I won't be able to update for a while. Stay with me though! Thanks to my best friend for giving me some writing tips! Credit where credit is due if you gave me a suggestion that I used. Other than that, no other announcements. Enjoy!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Silena hadn't talked to Annabeth in three days, not since, well….. Annabeth understood. She knew what Beckendorf meant to Silena (and what Silena meant to Beckendorf) and she knew, well...not _knew_ , but understood what Silena was going through. She didn't need to talk to Annabeth as long as she knew Annabeth was there for her. Annabeth had tried to help by wrapping her in blankets, keeping a mug of hot chocolate in her hands at all times, and letting her know at least once a day that if she wanted anybody to talk to- Annabeth is ready to listen. And that was exactly what was going on right now.

"Annabeth, can I talk to you?" Silena nearly whispered when Annabeth handed her yet another cup of hot chocolate.

"Sure, of course. Just say anything." Annabeth said. "But...what changed? You haven't spoken to me in three days. Is there anything that happened or are you just-"

"Just ready." Silena confirmed. She pulled her long sleeve further down her arm. "Nothing's changed. I'm just ready to talk about it."

"Ok….how are you feeling?" Annabeth asked quietly. She had never really had to deal with death before, besides her obvious impending one, so she didn't actually know how to start the conversation.

"Horrible." Silena said sharply. "Sad. Lonely. Heartbroken. I've just lost the love of my life, how am I supposed to feel?" Annabeth was taken aback. She had thought Silena would be crying, that the dam would burst as soon as she started the conversation. Instead she was...she was-

" _Angry."_ Silena said after a pause. "I am so fucking angry at- at...at everything! At the fucking government for forcing us to wear these things. At the fucking universe for killing him. At the people he works with that didn't hear him crying out for help until it was too late. At the fucking coroner for telling me that it was a mechanical accident. At you for treating me like a fucking twelve year old whose dog just died!"

"Wait, you're mad at me?"

"Annabeth, I love you, but I hate hot chocolate. I mean, everything tastes like cardboard but hot chocolate is especially worse."

"I-I'm sorry."

"It's ok it's just-" And then the dam broke. Silena sobbed into her comforter and held onto her knees. Annabeth tried to put her arm over her shoulder, but then Silena pitched forward and buried her face in Annabeth's collarbone. Annabeth rocked her and whispered what she hoped were comforting words into her ear while Silena wept.

"- I can't believe he's dead," She wailed. "We would have gotten married." Silena pulled away from Annabeth and looked at her. Through her tears she smiled somewhat darkly. "He said he would have proposed. If his time hadn't...if his time wasn't so short. He said we could have gotten married, but he didn't want to leave me as a young widow. He-he's so sweet. Concerned for me even though he's the one that would- that would-"

Annabeth patted Silena's back as she broke down again. Annabeth always knew Beckendorf was nice and she was sad that he had died, but she never really knew him aside from Silena's descriptions. She had only talked to him on a few occasions, but she could see how much he had loved Silena. She could see him getting down on one knee for her and proposing. _If only they had had the time._

Annabeth mostly felt bad for her friend. She could tell how much Silena was hurting and in turn, she was hurting too. She wished she could make it better, less painful, but Annabeth knew this wasn't something that could be fixed with ice cream and movies. The only thing that could heal this was time. Annabeth didn't know how long it would take, but someday Silena was going to accept his death. Not forget, no, never forget. She would just move through the stages of grief until she gets to acceptance.

Until then Annabeth would just have to be there as long as she could to help Silena along. And Annabeth rocked Silena and rubbed her back long into the night and stayed in Silena's bed long after she had gone to sleep. The next morning she decided to skip all of her classes because classes could be made up, friends could not.

;;;

 **Annabeth, where r u- P**

 **You know i suck at writing i neeed you-P**

 **Its wierd for u to b missing english-P**

 **Annabeth?-P**

 **I heard about beckendorf. I am so sorry, i can't belive that happened. Silenas your roommate, right?-P**

 **Annabeth, r u ok?- P**

Annabeth resisted texting Percy until the next day. She didn't want Silena to think she didn't want to take care of her and she just didn't think it was fair to abandon Silena to hang out with Percy. Even so, she waited until Silena finally had to go to the bathroom (she thankfully started eating again) before she opened her phone to all of the notifications. She knew she would get some from Piper, but she was surprised by the number Percy had written. She responded to Piper first, reassuring her that she was okay and that she was just helping Silena and that Silena's physical health was more or less fine. Then she responded to Percy.

 **Yeah, I'm ok. I am just helping Silena out. Sorry for not being in English.-A**

Percy texted back right away.

 **Do u want to talk?-P**

 **Uh...yeah. Just let me come down and I will text you when I can.-A**

 **Ok-P**

Annabeth hadn't noticed that Silena had come through the door. She stood under the frame and looked at Annabeth. Her grey sweatpants rode her hips and an old shirt- Beckendorf's- hung loosely off her shoulders.

"Luke?" She asked, her voice raw from crying.

"Um, no. Percy."

"Oh, I just thought- because of the way you were looking at your- nevermind." Silena said. "Are you going to go meet dreamboy?" She asked, smiling weakly.

"Not if you don't want me to. If you want me to stay here that's fine, Percy can wait."

"No, no, Annabeth. _Go._ I don't need you smothering me constantly. Just- I think it would be good for me to be alone for a little bit. Okay?"

"Okay." Annabeth said uncertainly. She stood up from her desk chair and grabbed her heavy jacket and scarf. She slipped on converse over the fuzzy socks she had been favoring and left after looking back at Silena climbing into bed one last time.

;;;

Annabeth sat with Percy in a Starbucks two blocks from her dorm. She leaned into one of the big leather chairs that they have surrounding a small electric fireplace and wrapped her hands around her cup of chai tea latte to warm up her hands. Annabeth had gloves; she just forgot them at her dorm room.

Percy leaned forward in his chair, opposite from her, and rubbed his hands on his face wearily. He moves them up his face and through his hair before settling them on the back of his neck.

"Wow, I had no idea," He said. "I mean, I didn't spend a lot of time with him, but I feel like this is something I would notice."

"Well, sometimes it's just not obvious. Not everyone thinks about their death constantly." Annabeth retorted.

"You do." Percy looked at her intently. His green eyes sparkled. It was refreshing after having stared at Silena's dull, broken ones for hours. Annabeth immediately felt bad for thinking that. Silena had every right to be...to be- Annabeth realized Percy had said something and was expecting something in return.

"I don't."

"You do. I don't know why, but you bring it up all the time. I've seen you glance at your timer constantly, your fingers tap to the rhythm of the seconds. For someone who so obviously thinks of death _all the time_ you sure have a lot to say about the subject." Annabeth was, for lack of a better term, flabbergasted. She didn't even stop to think about how Percy had noticed all of those things about her, but instead focused on how _readable_ she was. Was she really that _transparent?_

"Uh, look, I'm sorry," Percy said. Annabeth must had had an offended look on her face. She tried to make her face more neutral, but felt like she was just making it look more screwed up. "I didn't mean to-"

"No, no, it's okay," She said cutting him off. "We're both stressed. Beckendorf just _died._ It's perfectly fine." Annabeth chose not to continue what he was saying about her.

"Yeah, yeah, you're right." Percy said, hands rubbing his face again. Annabeth noticed that he did that a lot. Touch his face. Her mother would have told her to stop so that she wouldn't get pimples. Annabeth, of course, said nothing.

"I should probably head back. I don't want to leave Silena alone for too long."

"Yeah, I probably should too. I'm going to check in with Leo. Apparently he and Beckendorf were pretty good friends. I should probably, y'know, talk to him." Percy said, standing up and putting his coat on. Annabeth did the same and followed him out the door and depositing her now empty chai tea in a nearby trash bin. The sudden cold of outside compared to the warmth in Starbucks makes her cheeks ach. Annabeth stuffs her hands into her pockets wishing she hadn't forgotten her gloves.

"Bye." Percy said, turning down the street and waving. Annabeth followed him.

"We're going the same way, Seaweed brain." She said.

"Well now this is awkward," Percy stated. "And seaweed brain? Where did that come from." Annabeth was laughing at his expression. It almost felt unnatural. Laughing. She hadn't done it, or even heard laughter, in four days. It felt nice.

"Yeah, 'cause your head is full of kelp." She laughed.

"Clever are you?" Percy raised his eyebrow.

"I would think so. I've been thinking of that since we went to the aquarium."

"Ooh. Wise girl, aren't 'cha."

"That's not even an insult!" Annabeth said loudly, scaring a flock of pigeons sitting on a bench nearby. Percy just laughed and scratched his chin.

"This is me," Annabeth said as they stopped in front of her dorm building. She grabbed her key from the back pocket of her jeans. "We should work on the project tomorrow. To make up for skipping class."

"Yeah, sure. Is eleven good? Starbucks?"

"Sounds great...I'll see you tomorrow then."

Annabeth unlocked the door, pausing to wave back at Percy who was waiting to make sure she got in. He nodded, grinned, and started walking in the same direction that they had come. Annabeth tried not to question it.

Annabeth took the elevator and waited as it took her up to her floor. She rubbed her cold cheeks with her even colder hands, but gave up in exasperation when she didn't warm up.

The elevator opened with a ding and Annabeth stepped out. She walked down the hall and paused outside her door to open it. Before she could put her hands on the handle the door quickly swung open and a boy stepped out.

"Leo!" She gasped, surprise. "God, you scared me to death. I was _not_ expecting that."

"Sorry Blondie, I uh, didn't know you were there." Leo said quickly. He grinned, but the fire in his eyes looked muted. Annabeth was reminded that he had been Beckendorf's friend. Annabeth moved out of the way as Leo walked by her.

"I would love to stay and chat, princess, but Percy just texted me. Apparently it's an emergency. He probably just ran out of doritos again." Leo gave a forced laugh and stepped into the elevator, saluting at Annabeth before the doors closed. Annabeth stood mutely outside her dorm wondering what just hit her.

Annabeth entered her dorm room and saw Silena sitting on her bed surrounded by a pile of tissues and eating cup noodles. _Well at least she's eating._

"Hi." Silena said. Her eyes were red and she was sniffling.

"Hey." Annabeth responded. "Why was Leo here?"

"Oh, he was just giving me tips, sharing his experiences." Silena began collecting her tissues and threw them into the small trash bin under her desk. "He's been through this before. Losing someone you love."

"Calypso."

"Yeah, and his mother. She died in a warehouse fire when he was young." Silena sniffled. Annabeth took off her jacket and sat on her bed.

"Oh my God, I had no idea."

"Well, loss isn't always that obvious." Silena said. Annabeth thought about all of her (few) experiences with Leo. He always seemed so happy, joking and flirting with everyone.

"Yeah, I guess it isn't."

Silena turned over towards the wall.

"I think I am going to go to sleep." She said to the wall. Annabeth looked at her clock. 4:30.

Annabeth said nothing and plugged in her headphones. She tugged her laptop onto her lap and turned on Doctor Who. As the opening thing played, Annabeth looked over at Silena as she silently cried into her pillow. Annabeth wished there was something she could do, but she knew the best thing would be to just let her mourn in peace.

;;;

"You know you're a terrible speller, right?" Annabeth said, poking Percy on the shoulder as they bent over her laptop in the same seats they sat at the day before.

"Oi! Don't be rude." Percy said, laughing. "I have dyslexia."

"So do I," Annabeth said. "I think you just don't pay attention to what you're typing. This whole page is red lines."

"Okay Wise Girl, then why don't you type." He said, handing the laptop over to Annabeth. She read over what they had so far and corrected his spelling errors. She added some description to the more dull scenes and got rid of some of the dialogue.

"Wait! That's a good part!" Percy protested as she deleted a whole paragraph.

"She's literally describing how she looks in the mirror. That's the worst cliche in the book. Don't be a seaweed brain, I'm deleting it." She highlighted the paragraph and pressed backspace.

"Then how else are we going to know how she looks?"

"Just describe it throughout the story. Have people comment on it or do it subtly. Having her describe herself in a mirror makes her seem shallow. It's better to let the reader project something onto the character when they are reading."

"And how do you know that?" Percy said, leaning head on his hands and raising his eyebrow. _Touching his face and raising his eyebrow. Two things Percy does a lot. I wonder what I do a lot. Probably roll my eyes and look at my timer._

"It was in the assigned reading two weeks ago. Duh." She said, smacking him on the back of his head. She hoped that was okay, she wasn't sure how close they were. Thankfully, Percy just shook his head and laughed.

"Ok, Wise Girl."

"Still not an insult!" Annabeth smirked. Percy turned his face to look at her and she was suddenly aware of how close they were. The glanced down at his lips and felt the irrational urge to kiss them. She shoved that thought into the depths of her mind and focused on what Percy was saying.

"Thank you." Percy's eyes shined, like he still had laughter trapped inside. "I just-" He leaned back into his chair and put his hands over his eyes and then took them off again when he looked at her. "-it's been kind of depressing in my apartment. Leo's my roommate, along with Jason now that he's moving in, but everything is just so, I don't know, _grey."_

"Grey?"

"Yeah, grey. I'm just glad we could do this. Being able to laugh and smile without feeling guilty- it's bringing colour back into my life so to speak."

"Oh my God, Percy. _You_ are such a cliche."Percy laughed and looked away."No, but seriously, it was good for me too. I mean, you know my roommate's Silena. Thing's aren't exactly sunshines and rainbows where I live either."

"Yeah, sorry."

"I just don't really understand why she chose to y'know, fall for someone who she knew would die so soon." Annabeth said quietly, mostly to herself.

"You can't really control who you fall in love with, Annabeth. What happens happens whether you want it to or not." Percy had taken out a ballpoint pen and started doodling on his hand. Annabeth nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her.

"I guess you wouldn't really understand because as far as I can tell. I mean, you're not going to go anytime soon, and neither is this Luke guy that you're dating. Right? You kind of have security in the love department."

Annabeth agreed with him for a whole different reason. She had security in that department, not because she and Luke were going to live but because they were going to die at the same time. Unless of course….unless her timer would remain changed. But it was still only when she was with Percy and a little bit after (an hour to be exact) that her life was extended. For some reason Annabeth didn't think Luke would like the idea of Annabeth hanging out with Percy constantly.

Annabeth's thoughts were interrupted when her her phone abruptly rang loudly. The shrill of the phone carried across Starbucks and people turned to look at her. Annabeth quickly dug the phone out of her bag and looked at the caller ID. _Luke._

"Speak of the devil and he shall appear." Annabeth muttered.

"Sorry?"

"Nothing, just um, Luke is calling me. I better take this." Annabeth said, getting up from her chair and walking outside. She probably should have brought her jacket, but it was too late as she was already answering the call.

"Hey."

"Hey babe." Luke's voice came out scratchy and rough coming from the other line.

"Luke, are you still in Paris? This must be costing a fortune!" Annabeth said. She rubbed her shoulders with her free hand.

"No, no. I got moved to New York. Apparently there's some Black Lives Matter protest going on or some shit."

"Oh that's really cool. Those people are so amazing. How's it going?"

"It's going fine. There's nothing really exciting going on and they suspect nothing will really happen. I'm just calling to let you know that I'm coming home early."

"Okay, that's great." Annabeth said. There was a pause and for a second Annabeth thought that Luke had hung up, but she could still hear him breathing on the other line.

"So um, how are you?" Luke asked.

"I'm fine…" Annabeth answered. Luke rarely asked her questions like this when he called. Only when he wanted something.

"I hear you've been hanging out with that Percy guy a lot." He said.

"Why do you know that?"

"Friends have just said that they've seen you two around." Annabeth shuddered. It was creepy that his friends felt the need to tell Luke of her whereabouts. Almost like they were keeping tabs on her.

"Yeh, we're working on the project. Did you hear about what happened with Beckendorf?" Annabeth asked.

"No, what happened with Beckendorf?"

"I'll tell you when you get back." It was weird that Luke somehow knew about who she had been hanging out with but didn't know about the death of a fellow classmate.

"Okay, I'll see you then." Luke said. Before Annabeth had a chance to say anything, he hung up. Annabeth stood outside wondering what Luke was up to for a while until she realized she was freezing her ass off.

She went inside to Percy.

 **A/N: So if you read the top authors note you would know that I am leaving for a week. So goodbye for a little while! While I am gone, tell me who you think is keeping Luke updated in the comments. Does Silena seem a little secretive to you, or is that just me? When are we going to see Hazel and Frank again, and when are Percy and Annabeth going to visit Nico and his boyfriend Will? Please tell me what you think should happen next, because I only know the big details, not the small ones. Tell me in the comments please! Don't forget to fave, follow and review.**

 **~skulls-surround-suns**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Long Chapter! Yay! In the end it might get a little shit because I was writing this at four in the morning after pulling several very late nighters. I also have no one betaing for me so sorry for the spelling errors and the other mistakes. I am very tired, but I care so much about you that I just had to write it. To finish this chapter, whatever. I hope you enjoy!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth wanted to bang her head on her desk. Repeatedly. She had barely slept last night because she stayed up studying for her math test because she hadn't had the chance to in the past few days (She may have also been writing fanfiction, but nobody needs to know that. Annabeth rather blame school for her exhaustion instead of her loyal followers and her own horrible planning), said math test went horribly, and now, as of thirty seconds ago, someone had begun to poke her arm. Repeatedly. Actually, at the same rate that she now wanted to bang her head against the desk.

" _What?!_ " Annabeth snapped at the poker. Piper (apparently the fucker that had been making Annabeth's day go from bad to worse one jab at a time) gave Annabeth a lopsided grin from her awkward position laying on the library table.

"Your phone's been ringing off the hook," Piper said all too cheerily. "I think it's Dream Boy."

Annabeth rolled her eyes and picked up her phone. She was not too thrilled when Piper started calling Percy the same nickname that Silena called him. When she looked at the called ID she saw that it was indeed Drea- Percy. She motioned that she was going to go outside to take the call to Piper, who just smiled cheekily and replied ' _try not to bite his head off'_.

Annabeth navigated her way out of the library, praying that Percy wouldn't get impatient and hang up. She finally stepped outside, mourning her lack of gloves or a scarf, just in time for the ringing to stop. She scowled at her phone before finding Percy's name in the contacts (currently Seaweed Brain) and calling him back. The call went straight to voicemail. Annabeth hated it when someone tried to get ahold of you and then are suddenly unable to respond when you get back to them seconds after the call or text. Annabeth felt irrationally angry at Percy, something she blamed on lack of sleep and no caffeinated beverages.

Annabeth locked her phone and was about to go back into the warmth of the library when her phone began to vibrate and ring violently in her hand. She looked at the caller ID. Percy. Annabeth now wanted to throw her phone against a wall (she gets aggressive when she's tired, _okay_ ), but she instead took a deep breath and accepted the call.

"Hello?" Annabeth said, like she didn't already know who was calling her.

"Hey, Annabeth. It's uh...me."

"Obviously." Annabeth snorted. She could practically feel Percy's smirk through the phone.

"I got in touch with Nico. Remember, I thought he could help us with the timer aspect of our story."

"The one dating Will."

"Yeah, that's him. He says he could meet us tomorrow if we're up to it. What do you think?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Annabeth yawned loudly.

"Are you ok?" Percy asked her.

"Yeah, I'm just really tired," Annabeth shivered. "And cold."

"Starbucks?"

"That sounds great."

"Be there in twenty?"

"Make it fifteen." Annabeth heard Percy chuckle before she hung up.

When Annabeth walked back into the library she was smiling. She made her way back to her table, back to Piper, and started packing her stuff away in her bag.

"I, uh, I have to go. Sorry." She said. Piper crawled over to her side of the table and grabbed Annabeth's laptop, hugging it to her chest, before Annabeth could put it in her bag.

"Are you meeting Percy?" Piper asked, teasingly. Annabeth rolled her eyes and held out her hand.

"Give me that, Piper."

"Not until you answer my question."

"Fine. Yes, I am meeting up with him." Piper begrudgingly held out the laptop to Annabeth, who took it and shoved it with the rest of her stuff. Piper leaned back and draped her hand over her eyes dramatically.

"I wish you two would just get together. From what you say, you would be perfect for eachother."

"Are you encouraging me to cheat on my boyfriend, Piper McLean?" Annabeth scoffed. "And you know nothing. Percy is insufferable 90- no- 80...75, 60 percent of the time. I just focus on the good things because you know, I'm just that optimistic." Annabeth gave Piper an obviously fake smile.

"Okay...whatever you say...Wise Girl." Piper winked.

"Wha-how-"

"Go! Go! You're going to be late!" Piper said, laughing and pushing Annabeth away. That was enough to remind Annabeth that she had a date- meeting to get to. She left Piper, flipping her the bird as she tried to walk at the fastest speed appropriate for a library. The people in the library glared at her for interrupting their reading. Annabeth gave them what she hoped was an apologetic smile. When she reached the library's exit, she began jogging the rest of the way to Starbucks.

When she arrived Percy was already settled in one of the chairs near the fireplace. She tried to warm up her red cheeks and tame her frizzy, messed up hair. Then she stopped and wondered why she would care how she looked. She wasn't trying to impress Percy in any way, and anyway, if she were it wouldn't be with her appearances. Annabeth wasn't unattractive, but with her frizzy blond hair and body heavy figure she had decided long ago that if she were to charm anyone it would be with her brains and 'witty sense of humour'. She twisted her hair into a bun at the top of her head and walked over and sat down in the chair across from Percy. She had to tap him on the shoulder to let him know she was there because he was so into his music (that Annabeth could hear coming from his headphones). He jumped but when he looked up at her he broke into a smile that took over the whole of his face.

"Annabeth!"

"Hey."

"Grab a drink and come back. You look exhausted." Annabeth's smile faded a little. _Do I really look that tired?_

"Ok, I will." Annabeth walked to the counter and ordered a chai tea latte, her usual. It wasn't really enough caffeine, but Annabeth hated coffee with a passion. She sat back down next to Percy.

"I think Starbucks has job openings." Percy said as she sat down. Annabeth snorted.

"You want to work at Starbucks?"

"Why not? It's warm, it smells like coffee, I think it pays pretty well. Besides, I need a job." Annabeth shrugged.

"I guess you have a point."

"What, don't you have a job? How are you paying for all those chai tea lattes?" Percy said touching his nose and smiling. Percy was almost always smiling.

"I had a full ride and a lot of money saved up. My scholarship includes living and eating- as long as I live in the upperclassman dorms. My parents help a bit too. One of the few things they actually contribute to my life." Annabeth wished she didn't say that last statement. Percy didn't know about her rocky history with her family, and she wasn't going to explain it. Thankful, Percy didn't focus on that part.

"Wow. Full ride scholarship. You must be pretty smart." He said, his eyes wide.

"I like to think so." She said in response. Percy laughed. Then his expression turned serious.

"So how are things with Silena?" Annabeth sighed.

"Well, you know. She's grieving. It's hard for me, so I can't imagine how it must be for her."

"But are you ok? I mean, I don't think you're tired just because you stayed up late. You seem to be trying to hold not only yourself afloat, but also Silena. I think you should just...let her learn to float on her own. Then if she begins to sink you can be there to catch her."

Annabeth knew Percy was right. She was holding too much responsibility over how Silena was feeling and she wasn't letting her get better herself.

"Are all of your metaphors tied to swimming?" Annabeth said, laughing weakly. " What do you suggest I do?"

"I don't know. Maybe stay somewhere else for a little bit. Then you can give Silena some space and give yourself some space. It'll be good for both of you."

"Ok, I think I have someone in mind. Do you mind if I…" Annabeth said, pointing to the door. She wanted to call Piper as soon as she could.

"Yeah. I should probably go too. Um, Nico wants to meet at around two tomorrow. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, I'm free all day. Where is it?"

"Let's just meet here and then we can go tomorrow."

"Sure. Here by 1:30?"

"I'll see you then." Percy stood up as he said this and began putting his earbuds back in. Annabeth took that as her cue to leave. She put her jacket on and slung her bag over her shoulder before nodding to Percy (who smiled and nodded back) before walking briskly outside. She took out her phone and texted Piper.

 **A- can I stay with you tonight?**

 **Piper- of course. Come over whenever you want**

 **P- actually, come over in at least twenty minutes**

 **A- ok. I'll be there soon.**

Annabeth ran to her dorm, thankfully empty because Silena had class, and grabbed a small duffle bag. She stuffed in things at random. A shirt, pants, socks, her toothbrush, gloves, etc. When she decided she had packed enough she texted Piper that she would be there in ten minutes. Piper didn't respond, but Annabeth left to go to her house anyway.

Lo and behold, Annabeth was coming out of the stairwell of Piper's apartment building eight minutes later. She walked down the hall and stood outside of Piper's door for a second before raising her hand to knock. Before she had the chance the door swung open.

"Piper," Annabeth said, thinking that it was her friend who had opened the door (Piper seemed to have a strange intuition about exactly when Annabeth would show up at her door). But too late, Annabeth realized that the person who had opened the door was indeed a male with close cropped blonde hair and crooked rectangular glasses.

"Jason…" Jason blushed a deep red and visibly tried to cover up the hickies on his neck with one hand while straightening out the wrinkles in his shirt with the other.

"H-hey Annabeth. Fancy seeing you here. I, um, I really have to…" Jason gestured at the hall past Annabeth. Then he pushed past her, awkwardly clearing his throat. Annabeth turned to see him disappear down the stairwell and then poked her head into Piper's apartment.

"Annabeth, is that you I hear?" She heard Piper yell from the depths of the flat. "Just come on it!"

Annabeth walked into Piper's dim apartment, turning on some of the hall lights as she went. Piper was lounging on her old couch wearing her pajama pants and a sports bra. She looked up at Annabeth and beamed. Annabeth plunked her stuff on the floor and slumped down next to Piper.

"Heeey." Piper said.

"Y'know, it's kinda steamy in here." Annabeth said, leaning against the couch.

"What do you mean? I don't think I've done anything that would...ohh. You saw Jason?" Annabeth nodded and tried to stifle a laugh.

"Uuugh. I told him to be subtle." Piper groaned. Annabeth started laughing out loud.

"His shirt was backwards _and_ inside-out." She laughed. Piper joined her and soon both girls were howling.

"Oh my God, what a total dufus!" Piper said.

"But you really like him." Annabeth pointed out.

"Yeah, I really do." Piper said softly with a small smile on her face. "So, why'd ya come over?"

"Everything's really...I don't know. Messed up? Overwhelming? Stressful? I just needed a break from everything, at least for tonight." Annabeth sighed.

"Annabeth Chase? Taking a break?" Piper said with mock disbelief. "Impossible." Annabeth shoved her and rolled her eyes.

"So, I know about Beckendorf and then by default Silena, but besides that, what's going on?" Piper asked.

"Well the Silena thing definitely, and then Luke has been acting weirdly, or maybe he hasn't and I'm just noticing it and then also...the timer thing."

"Wait, the timer thing? I mean, tell me about Luke later, but what about the timer thing? You're not still hung up about that, are you?" Of course by 'the timer thing' they were referring to what Annabeth had told Piper about her timer change over a month ago. One thing she didn't tell her though was who was influencing it.

"Piper, there's something I haven't told you. About my timer change."

"Annabeth…" Piper said uneasily. She tucked her choppy brown hair behind her ear and eyed her suspiciously. _Now or never,_ Annabeth thought.

"I know they guy. The one who changes my timer. It's Percy. My timer changed every time I am with Percy." Annabeth admitted. Piper stared at her with wide eyes before squealing loudly.

"Oh my god! This is perfect!"

"What, how is this perfect?!"

"You guys are totally meant to be!"

"What! Piper, do you not remember that I have a _boyfriend!"_ Piper's face scrunched up.

"Oh yeah," She said dejectedly. "So what's up with Luke?"

"I don't know, he's just being really weird. I feel like he has people watching me when he's away. He seems to know everything I do. It's like fucking Big Brother."

"Big Brother?"

"You know, from the book 1984, the surveillance." Annabeth saw Piper's confused expression. "Never mind."

"That is pretty weird." Piper said. She grabbed her knees and hugged them to her chest. "Why do you still go out with him again?"

"Because...because he gets me, y'know. And I love him." Annabeth insisted.

"Are you sure?" Piper said, wrinkling her nose. Annabeth knew Piper hated Luke, so she wasn't really upset by this. They'd already argued about him before and Annabeth knew neither of them wanted to do it again.

"Yeah."

"Okay…" Piper sighed. "I don't think I can help you besides telling you to get the hell out of that creepy ass relationship." Annabeth opened her mouth, but Piper continued before she could say something. "Yeah, yeah, I _know_ you're not going to break up with him…..oh, come on, don't pout."

Annabeth pulled her face out of the pout she was giving Piper.

"Yeah, well, now you know what's wrong." Annabeth said. She lifted herself off of the floor and onto the couch. Piper did the same.

"I can't believe it was Percy. Now I want to meet him even more!"

"You'll meet him, I promise. Just don't, y'know, tell him about the timer." Piper nodded and then put her fingers to her mouth in a zipper motion. Then she twisted them and "threw away the key".

"My lips are sealed." Piper grinned at Annabeth who smiled back.

The rest of the night Piper and Annabeth watched a movie (Ratatouille- don't judge, Pixar's amazing) and browsed through tumblr before going to sleep. They didn't talk about Percy of Luke for the rest of the night, much to Annabeth's relief. They didn't talk about Silena either. Which, to be honest, was even more of a relief.

;;;

"How'd you sleep?" Percy asked, glancing at Annabeth from the side.

Annabeth and Percy stood outside a nondescript building with a small sign that read " **Closed"** in bold, loopy writing and then underneath that in light, messy scrawl it said " _ **Unless you're Percy and Annabeth. Then y'all can just come right on in."**_ A bare tree cast an odd shadow over the wooden door and rattled in the wind. _It's kind of creepy,_ Annabeth thought.

"Just fine, thanks." Annabeth quickly said. A crow cawed loudly behind her and Annabeth jumped. "Let's just go in." She said. She pushed the door open, Percy laughing behind her.

The inside of the house was very different from the outside. It was warm and had a cozy atmosphere. That may have just been the clutters of books lying around on the tables and the couch though. Annabeth always felt better when she was around books. It made her feel safe and welcome. There were every kind of book from large medical and psychology textbooks to old greek epics. Annabeth visibly calmed down. She already felt at home here.

"Hey, are you okay?" Percy asked. He must have noticed her change from anxious to relaxed.

"Yeah I just..really like books." Annabeth sighed happily. Percy gave her a weird look. Before he said anything, a voice called out from the kitchen.

"Is that Percy and Annabeth?!" Will poked his blonde head out from around the wall. His freckled face broke into a giant smile. "Annabeth! Long time no see!" Annabeth noticed his southern drawl was much softer than when they had been at camp.

Annabeth met Will when they went to a summer camp in New York for several summers. Neither Annabeth nor Will were especially close, they did know each other and they had hung out a few timers. Will even helped heal an injury she got during one of the camp games. That was when he told her about wanting to be a doctor.

Even though they were not close friends, it was still nice to see him after all of this time. She didn't really realize this, but she missed him a little bit.

"Hey Will! It's really good to see you!" Annabeth said, walking forward to embrace him.

"You too Annabeth. It's been too long. We should catch up."

"I would love to but," Annabeth pointed at Percy. "Unfortunately we are kind of on a time crunch. But maybe another time?"

"Sure, sure. I'll give you my number. I can go get Nico so he can talk to you. He's the expert. I've got to go study anyway."

"Okay, well...bye!" Annabeth said. Will walked down a hallway to the right of where her and Percy were and stuck his head through a door.

"Nico, they're here." She heard him say. He was replied to with a small groan. Will smiled back at Annabeth and Percy and then shuffled on to another room and disappeared.

Coming from the room Will had just spoken to came what must be his boyfriend, Nico. Nico was wearing sweatpants and a loose black t shirt. His hair was ruffled and it looked like he had just gotten out of bed. _Maybe he has._ He shuffled forward in a zombie like way and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey." Nico said, sitting down on the couch. Percy sat down next to him and Annabeth grabbed a chair (removing the books first) and sat across from Nico.

"Hi. We uh, heard that you were the expert on timers? We're writing a story about them and we want to make it as realistic as possible. We both realized that we didn't really know anything about them and the internet was no help. Do you think you could tell us about them?"

Nico folded his hands on his knees and leaned back. Then he brought a hand up to his hair and pushed it back out of his face. Annabeth could tell he was looking at Percy. Annabeth saw Percy cough and look away out of the corner of her eye. _Is there any history there?_ Annabeth knew Nico was gay, but she had no idea what Percy's sexuality was. Nico cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I can try. Just ask me questions and I'll try to answer them." Annabeth was kind of unnerved by is dark stare, but if Will had fallen in love with him, then he couldn't be that bad. Percy tried to clear his throat but ended up choking and awkwardly tried to cover it up with a cough. Nico smirked. _Yeah, he couldn't be that bad._

"Okay." Percy said, leaning forward and resting his forearms on his knees. "Um, I guess, what are the different kinds of timer malfunctions."

Nico gave Percy a creepy grin. Percy looked like he was trying not to squirm, but Annabeth could tell that Nico was just doing that to get under Percy's skin. Annabeth was liking him more and more.

"Well," Nico said. "There are a ton. I mean, some of them are really rare, like your timer changing all of the time and then some of them are very common."

"Could you tell us about the more common ones?" Annabeth asked. Nico focused his attention on her.

"Of course. I believe the most common one is when something happens and your life suddenly shortens according to your timer. That usually happens when something super unexpected happens like a lightning strike or I don't know, a coconut falling on your head."

"A coconut falling on your head?" Percy asked incredulously.

"Yeah. Around 150 people die from coconuts each year worldwide." Nico said. Annabeth decided to ignore the fact that he just happened to know that. Percy just looked puzzled.

"What are the other common malfunctions?" Annabeth asked. Nico cleared his throat and continued.

"Well there is when your timer just stops but you keep living. No one really knows why that happens. And then there is when you are born with a zeroed out timer. Most people just think that that happens when they put an already broken timer on the baby. And then there is when your timer suddenly changes and you have a longer life. And there is-"

"Wait!" Annabeth said, a little too loudly. "Tell us about that last one." Nico and Percy looked at her strangely. _Now I'm the one who's trying not to squirm._

"Okay. There's not much really known about why it happens. Some people think it is because something happens in your life that would stop your death in the future. But I don't see why that would-"

"Would meeting a person do that?" Annabeth interrupted. Percy kept staring at her weirdly, but Annabeth supposed she _was_ acting oddly.

"Yeah. I suppose it would. If the person was going to save you in the future or something. Why?" Nico asked her. Annabeth panicked. She didn't have a very good excuse. It was weird that she was so interested in the timers in the first place and now Nico was looking at her wrist and she couldn't fight the feeling to pull her sleeves over her timer. She knew that her timer had changed as soon as she reached Percy that day and that she had nothing to worry about. But thank any gods that may or may not exist because Percy had made up as excuse for her.

"I think I see where Annabeth is coming from. We could use that in our story, right?" Percy said, turning toward her. "We could make it a love story. We could have her fall in over with the person who changes her timer." Annabeth tried to will herself from blushing. God, it almost felt like he was talking about her. But it couldn't be her. Annabeth would never fall in love with someone as much as a buffoon as Percy and Percy didn't even _know_ about her timer situation. Not that he was ever going to.

Percy had started explaining a few of his ideas, but Annabeth had trouble paying attention. She could feel Nico's stare on the side of her face. She felt like he was staring into her soul, as ridiculous as it sounds. She couldn't shake the feeling that _he knew._

Percy and Nico started talking more about the timers. Annabeth calmed herself down now that Nico was no longer scrutinizing her. She tentatively rejoined the conversation and was soon talking with Nico and Percy about how they could input the timer into the character's situation.

"Well, I guess we're done here then." Annabeth said, standing up. "Thank you, Nico. You were really helpful."

"Yeah, thanks Neeks." Annabeth thought it was kind of rude of Percy to call Nico that, definitely since the seemed to have some sort of weird history. Will came out of the room to see that they were leaving, so Percy quickly walked over and tried to engage in conversation with him. As soon as the conversation wasn't professional, Percy didn't want to talk with Nico at all. Which left Annabeth alone with Nico.

"Nico," Annabeth started tentatively. She wasn't sure if she wanted to proceed. "Can I talk to you about a...problem I have?" Nico regarded her with interest.

"It's your timer, isn't it. Your timer is having the same problem as the one that you asked about, right." Annabeth nodded. Nico seemed to be better at reading people that she had originally thought. The again, he _was_ a psychology major.

"Yeah. You're right. And the person…" Annabeth hesitated. The only people who knew where her and Piper. But Nico might be able to help. _What the Hell,_ Annabeth thought. "The person is Percy." Nico's eyes widened a fraction of a degree until he brought his face back into his neutral expression.

"Okay. Does he know?"

"No. And...there's something else." Nico leaned forward in what Annabeth guessed was excitement. He must really like this kind of thing. Annabeth checked to make sure that Percy wasn't going to come back, but he seemed pretty occupied with telling a joke to Will that required a lot of large hand movements. "My timer only changed when I am with him. Like, when I am not with him it says my life is short, but as soon as I see him it changed and I have a long life again. Do you know why that is?"

"No." said Nico, clearly mystified. "I have no idea. Maybe it's because he would save you, but he's not sure thing in your life yet."

"Yeah, maybe." Annabeth said. She was slightly disappointed.

"I'm sorry I couldn't tell you more. I just haven't come across that in any of my studies." Annabeth nodded. Then a thought occurred to her.

"How'd you get into this kind of stuff?" Just like that, Nico's whole mood darkened. It was like when a shadow passed under the sun. One minute bright and friendly, or in Nico's case excited and not so broody, and then next minute dark and secretive. "I'm sorry, I didn't know that it was a hard subject-"

"No, no." Nico sighed. He suddenly sounded tired. "My sister, Bianca. She had a timer malfunction. She was one of the people who's timers suddenly shorten her life."

"Oh." Annabeth didn't really know what to say. She had never really lost someone besides, well besides Thalia. But Thalia wasn't really gone. It was just temporary.

"Yeah. After she...afterwards I kind of became obsessed and I researched it a lot. Met some shady people, hacked some government files. I stopped…" Annabeth heard what went unsaid. _But I have never been quite the same._ She was glad Nico had found Will.

Annabeth looked over at Percy and Will as Will let out a loud guffaw. Annabeth saw Nico look at them too and saw him give Percy the same odd stare he did furrowed her brow.

"Hey, did you and Percy…" She started saying. Nico turned a horrible shade of magenta.

" _No!"_ He hissed. Then quieter: "He was one of the first people I came out to. First Bianca, then Jason by accident and then my half sister Hazel and then well, Percy. I, um, I had a really stupid crush on him." For the first time that day Nico seemed embarrassed. He smiled at her and laughed. "I know, it's _awful."_ Annabeth laughed with him and marveled at how much happier he sounded. She could imagine a younger Nico, sad and heartbroken from his sister's death and looking for ways to understand better. She barely knew him, but she was happy that he felt so much more at ease.

"I'll go save your boyfriend from him." Annabeth told Nico. Nico laughed. Annabeth walked over and grabbed Percy's arm.

"Come on Percy, let's go. I am sure Nico and Will have their own things to get to."

"Okay, okay. I coming, Wise Girl." Will and Nico walked them to the door.

"Thank you so much for helping us. It really helped a lot." Annabeth said.

"Don't worry, it was our pleasure." Will said. He brought his arm around Nico's waist.

"Bye!" Percy said. Will winked at him and Percy blushed. _What had they been talking about?_

"Come on Seaweed Brain, let's go." Annabeth and Percy started walking down the front steps and back into the chill of the outside.

"I can't believe that 150 people die from coconuts a year." Percy said to no one in particular.

"I wonder how many people die from having kelp for brains?" Annabeth teased. Percy moved to elbow her in the side.

"Five people died from the kelp forests in Monterey Bay in the year 2002." Nico called from the door.

" _How does he know that!"_ Annabeth whispered to Percy. Percy laughed and Annabeth couldn't help but do the same.

 **A/N: I AM WRITING THIS AND IT IS 4 IN THE BLOODY MORNING. I am sooo tired, but I couldn't sleep until I finished this chapter. I am jumping on the Southern! Will bandwagon. And I love Nico, but for this story I am trying to go a bit more with canon Annabeth's description of him, so he is a bit creepy. Also, ignore my giant plot holes (which I will not point out in case y'all haven't noticed them). What should I do next- Luke or Frank? And what is up with Thalia? Okay, I am too tired to write a good author's note. Just...please write a review because that it the #1 reason I write, please follow and favorite. Good night!**

 **~ skulls-surround-suns**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Happy 4th y'all! And happy Canada day. I have been pretty damn busy which is why I haven't updated in awhile. I just want to say the face paint thing is actually something that happened to me, so slice of life right there, I am a huge fan of the Sharks and sue me, I couldn't just not mention them, and lastly, I have never been to a swim meet, or a swim anything for that matter, so everything is probably not very accurate. Mkay, RedGirl and hryepuru for helping me decide to work on Frank, sorry raelauren and BookRain for not focusing on Luke. And lastly I couldn't find it in the comments, but I remember that there was someone who guessed the problem with Frank's timer, so credit to you.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

"What's with the face paint?"

Percy grinned, creases appearing in the dry face paint on his face. He had the school colours (red and white) painted in waves on his cheeks with the words "GO Sharks" (the school mascot) on his forehead with a badly painted shark in between his eyes.

"You don't know!" Percy said in mock surprise. "Today is the last game of the season unless we get into the finals!"

"Swimming, right?" Annabeth asked.

"Yup." Percy said and gave her an over exaggerated wink. "Do you want to come watch?" Annabeth was unfazed. This was the fifth time Percy had asked her to come to one of his games. She always rejected him, but Annabeth was kind of curious.

"Sure. I'll go."

"Wait...seriously." Percy's eyes widened and his previously teasing expression was replaced by an incredulous one. "You'll actually come?"

"Yeah, I mean, if nothing else comes up. If I have enough time I might even make signs." Annabeth jokes, elbowing Percy in the side. Percy's ears go red. Then he whoops loudly.

"Yes! I finally got Annabeth Chase to come to one of my meets!" He stands up from his seat and raises one hand in the air. Annabeth hisses at him to be quieter "we're in class" but Mrs. Cavan scolds him first.

"Mr. Jackson. Shouldn't you be getting ready for the test that's about to start?" She calls toward him. She points at the words on the board behind her. **Pop Quiz- you have five minutes to study**. Percy visible wilts and sits down to a chorus of laughter from the surrounding students. Annabeth smirks.

"I'll see if I can make time for your meet." She says. Hazel turns around and passes a stack of papers to Annabeth and smiles, giving her a thumbs up. Annabeth returns it and takes a paper and passes the stack behind her. "Good luck on your test." she tells Percy. Percy gives her a distressed look.

;;;

The test is easy, at least from Annabeth's point of view. Then again, she did study during the five minutes, even with Percy distracting her. English was never really a huge strength, but Annabeth is on fire with her content knowledge.

Percy however, is not on fire. He seems to have rubbed off most of his face paint during the test. Now the shark in between his eyes was just a set of white teeth against his tan skin and the writing on his forehead said "O Sharl". His hands were leaving flecks of paint wherever he set them down.

"You okay?" She asked. Percy seemed...distressed.

"Haha, yeah. I just really hate pop quizzes." He rubbed his chin and flecks of white were left sticking to his skin. Annabeth had the sudden urge to lean over and brush them off (she refrained).

"Don't we all." Annabeth said. Percy laughed awkwardly.

"Is my face paint still there?" He asked. "I am afraid I rubbed it all off in _anguish._ "

"Anguish?" Annabeth said, rolling her eyes. "Dramatic much?" (She secretly loved his extensive vocabulary) (Would it be bad to say it was hot?) (God, she was such a nerd to find the use of words hot)

"What?" Percy asked.

"Nothing," Annabeth said, not wanting to repeat herself for some reason. "It says O Sharl now and your shark is pretty much gone."

"Oh shit. I guess I will have to have someone redo it."

"You can't do it yourself?" Annabeth asked.

"Oh god no." Percy examined himself in the camera in his phone. "I am artistically challenged and knowing me I will probably misspell 'sharks'." He closed his phone and looked at Annabeth.

"It starts at 5:10." He told her. Then he leaned forward and tapped Hazel on the shoulder. "Hazel, you'll be there right? With Frank?" Hazel nodded and grinned then turned around and showed them her university shirt.

"Nice." Leo said bending over to join the conversation. "I'll be there man, you don't even have to ask me." He shot finger guns at Percy.

Percy laughed.

;;;

Annabeth didn't have time to make signs. As it turns out, she didn't have to. Hazel brought enough for herself, Leo, Frank, Annabeth and then her neighbors (Who happened to be supporting another team. They had to hold Leo back from dumping his nachos on their heads.)

Annabeth had no idea that swimming was such a big deal at their university. There were hundreds of people in red and white holding signs and yelling like crazy people. Everything smelled like sweat and chlorine and strangely of cornnuts. Annabeth was reminded of when her dad used to take her to hockey games in San Jose (Ironically, also the sharks). The atmosphere was a lot like that. Partly belligerent, partly friendly competition, and partly oddly comforting. Something about so many people getting together to support their teams like this made Annabeth feel welcomed, maybe because she was here for the same reason. Whatever it was, she liked it.

Hazel and Leo raised their signs far over their heads and yelled as loudly as they could. Annabeth was surprised such small people could produce _so much_ noise. Frank was sitting in between Annabeth and Hazel and was gazing at Hazel screaming herself hoarse fondly. Annabeth nudged Frank to get his attention.

"She gets really into it, eh." She yelled over the noise in the stadium.

"Yeah. She always really liked this sort of thing. Just wait 'till Percy comes out." He said grinning.

Just as he said that the stadium interrupted in loud cheers and Annabeth looked toward the pool. The teams were coming out of their changing rooms. She spotted Percy coming out of the Home changing rooms. She grabbed her sign and started screaming right alongside Frank, Hazel, and pretty much everyone else in the stadium.

She saw Percy look around the stadium until his eyes fell on her group and then directly on her. His face erupted into a huge grin and he waved slightly at her like a little kid. Annabeth blushed and waved back, not noticing Hazel's questioning eyes on her. Hazel shrugged and waved her banner furiously over her head.

;;;

One thing Annabeth never knew about swim meets: they were _long._ Forty minutes later and Percy still hadn't even touched the water. It was okay though, Hazel, Frank and Leo were interesting enough that the time seemed to fly. They had already talked about Percy's relationship with everyone, calculated the trajectory Leo would have to throw the nachos for them to land on the captain of their school's rival team, and now Leo and Hazel were stuck in an argument about why that would _not_ be a good idea.

"But Hazel, Annabeth said it was possible."

"Just because Annabeth's stupid math said it was possible doesn't mean you should do it!"

Annabeth leaned closer to Frank, who was sitting quietly watching his girlfriend and (friend? acquaintance? annoyance?) Leo fight.

"Aren't you bothered by this? Leo tries to hit on Hazel all of the time." Annabeth asked. Frank seemed pretty chill for someone who's girlfriend was being simultaneously flirted with and bickered with.

"No, not really. I probably would have gotten really mad at Leo a while ago, but I realized he's harmless. He flirts but he doesn't really mean it." Frank said, not looking at Annabeth. Annabeth leaned away, not really sure how to carry the conversation. "Would you like to hang out with Hazel Percy and I after this?"

Annabeth didn't even know Frank was talking to her because he was facing forward. She thought he may have been asking the rival friends, but then it became apparent when he glanced at her questioningly for a second wondering why she hadn't responded.

"Sure. Um, is it like, an after-meet tradition?"

"I guess so. We've known Percy for three years, not as long as his other friends Grover and Katie, but it's kind of what we do afterward. If he wins we can celebrate, if he loses we can comfort. It works both ways."

"And you're sure I wouldn't be intruding?"

"No, no. Percy actually specifically asked me to ask you." Frank said. Then he put his hands up, palms facing Annabeth. "N-not that Hazel and I wouldn't want you to come too." Annabeth laughed.

"That's nice. Thank you for inviting me, Frank." Annabeth sometimes forgot that Frank was younger than her because of his large stature and quiet disposition, but it was these small bouts of awkward that remind her.

"Also, Percy usually leaves early so we- I can tell you about my-" Frank was interrupted by Hazel frantically pulling on his sleeve.

"There he goes!" Hazel yelled, pulling Frank to his feet and shoving the end of a large banner into his hands. He smiled dopily and raised it as high as Hazel could. Annabeth followed suit and raised her sign in the air, but she pondered what Frank was going to say. Did he want to show Annabeth his timer. She was reminded that he had something wrong with his but he never got to show her that day at the coffee shop.

But then the announcers were shouting the beginning of the 100 meter butterfly and the crowd was cheering and Percy was lining up and jumping and in the water and Annabeth couldn't think anything except _Go Percy!_

Percy cut through the water like a heated knife through butter. Annabeth had seen people doing the butterfly on TV or in youtube videos of her friend's swim meets and she had never thought it was particularly graceful. But God did Percy look graceful. He swam underneath the water after the jump before breaking the surface and going into the stroke. Annabeth didn't think he could come ahead, he hit the far wall third, but he pushed off with all of his strength and flew forward. Now Annabeth knew why the stroke was called the butterfly. Percy looked like he was practically flying. She watched and screamed as he passed the person on his left, coming in second and then ten meters from the finish line in a burst of speed he passed the next person, coming in first and slapping the wall with his palms.

The stadium was in an uproar. Hazel jumped up and down with Leo while Frank smiled broadly. Annabeth screamed herself hoarse. The people in front of them slumped in their seats and attempted to boo at Percy, but Leo started yelling and flipping them. Percy pulled himself out of the pool and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around his bare torso. He looked at the crowd, and Annabeth could have sworn straight at her. She screamed louder, probably losing what was the rest of her voice. Annabeth yelled, part of a group, part of the crowd, but still feeling surprisingly intimate when Percy made eye contact with her (but Annabeth couldn't be too sure, he was kind of far away). She lowered her sign and smiled a small smile, her eyes following Percy as he was herded out of the pool area and into the dressing rooms.

Hazel, Leo and Frank started scooting past some of the people who had sat back down and heading toward the aisle.

"Where are we going?" Annabeth asked.

"We're leaving." Frank said.

"We're leaving?" Annabeth asked. "What about the rest of the meet?"

"Well Chica, it's probably going to go on for several more hours. You can stay if you want, but Percy isn't going back on." Leo answered her. Annabeth nodded and hurriedly grabbed her jacket and trash, throwing it away on the way out.

They stood outside the back entrance of the stadium. It was much colder outside, but the excitement of earlier kept Annabeth warm. Finally, after what seemed like eternity, Percy came out of the door that said **Staff and Players Only** with wet hair and a sports bag. Hazel squealed and threw her arms around his neck.

"Percy! I'm so proud of you!" She squealed. Hazel let go and Leo gave Percy his own hug and Frank clapped a hand on his back.

"Damn! You were like greased lightning out there!" Leo said. Percy laughed.

"Thanks Danny Zuko." Percy joked. He looked at Annabeth, who was standing behind the rest of the group. He stuffed his hands in the pockets of his jeans and raised his shoulders slightly, smirking.

"That was amazing, Seaweed Brain!" Annabeth said, pulling a Hazel and throwing her arms around Percy's neck. Percy stumbled back in surprise and then wrapped his arms around Annabeth.

"Thanks Wise Girl." He whispered into her ear. Annabeth shivered.

They stayed like that until Frank cleared his throat awkwardly.

"The usual place?" He asked. Percy nodded in confirmation.

"Allons y!"Percy said in a terrible British accent, and Annabeth didn't even think twice about the fact that that may have just been a Doctor Who reference.

;;;

Annabeth was expecting a bar. Or maybe even a coffee shop (those seem pretty popular among this certain group of friends). What she was not expecting was a retro forties and fifties style diner. When she asked Percy about it he just said "It was Hazel's idea. She always talks about how she feels she belongs in that era. That is until Frank reminds her of the horrible racism and homophobia and she says she's happy in this time."

The group shuffles into a booth at the back of the diner. Annabeth looked around in wonder. _This really is the whole shebang._ The seats were done in red vinyl and the floors were black and white checked. There was even a jukebox playing in a far corner. They sat in a booth, but there were also stools by a bar that was facing what seemed to be a waffle griddle and an old fashioned coffee machine.

"You are such a dork." She told Percy, smiling. It was kind of endearing how dorky he was.

"Why am I a dork?"

"I just can't believe you come to a classic diner after your meets. That's just so….cute." Annabeth said, for lack of a better word. Then she realized that it was sort of true. The was something kind of irresistible about Percy and his friends.

"Hey, that's Hazel-"

"Seaweed Brain, I love it. It is so adorable." Percy's face scrunched up like he couldn't believe he was hearing her say that.

"God, you sound like my mom."

"Percy, you love your mom." Hazel chirped him from across the booth where she was holding hands with Frank. Everyone laughed and Percy grinned bashfully, nodding.

"What's your mum like?" Annabeth asked, leaning her head on her hand to look at Percy. Percy's eyes lit up and his smile got even wider(if that was possible).

"Oh, she's the best person in the world. Her name is Sally Jackson. You might have heard about her. She has started writing novels and is starting to become pretty well known in the teen lit. It's pretty cool. I am really proud of her. She always wanted to be a novelist, even before she worked in the candy shop down in the subway. She raised me practically on her own, never raising her voice or getting super mad. Sometimes she would even give me candy from the shop." Percy practically glowed while he talked about his mum. Annabeth could tell how much he loved her and how much she loved him, as he kept telling Annabeth about her. Sally Jackson seemed like a remarkable woman.

"Tell Annabeth about the blue food!" Hazel interrupted.

"Oh yeah, my mom and I have this tradition of eating blue foods. Blue waffles, blue birthday cake, blue pie, you name it. It's because my stepdad Gabe," Hazel wrinkled her nose at the name and Annabeth wondered if there was a reason for it. "-said that there was no such thing and so then my mom tried to get and make all blue food. It's kinda been our thing ever since."

"She sounds really great." Annabeth said.

"She is. She's just-" Percy was cut off by a ringing coming from his bag. "Oh, that must be her. I am going to go take this...actually, I think I'll just go home. I am pretty pooped. I'll see you soon?" Everyone nodded. Percy hurried away from the booth while everyone congratulated him one last time on his win. Before he went out the door Annabeth heard him say into the the phone against his ear: "Mom? Mom! Yeah, yeah, it was today. Thanks for reme-"

Annabeth smiled and leaned back into her seat. Today seemed like a long day, but not in a bad way. It was satisfying and full. A really great day.

A waitress came up to them and asked for their orders. Annabeth asked for waffles and a strawberry milkshake (24 hour breakfast. _Score!_ ) and Frank and Hazel decided to split a burger and a chocolate milkshake. The waitress commented on the loss of Percy: "I could've sworn there was more of ya." Annabeth smiled politely at the sweet old woman. She had remembered what Frank had said before. He would tell her about his…? Annabeth hoped it was about his timer. She couldn't think of anything else it could be.

Hazel giggled as Frank went cross eyed at the dot of chocolate on his nose from their recently brought milkshakes. She dabbed more on him and started laughing harder. Eventually Frank started laughing too and Annabeth felt out of place sitting in the booth across from them. She sipped her milkshake and stared enviously at them. She couldn't remember the last time her and Luke were that affectionate, or if they had ever been at all. She tried to imagine what would happen if she put milkshake on his nose. _He would probably scold me for being immature,_ Annabeth thought bitterly. Suddenly she thought of what Percy would do. He would love that kind of thing probably. He's enough affectionate and immature for the both of them. It was a nice thought though.

Hazel wiped the chocolate off of Frank's nose with a napkin. She sat forward and rested her head on the back of her hands, eyes sparkling. Frank shifted his position to face Annabeth as well, but he took on a much more serious expression. _Here we go._

"So Annabeth, I uh, I told you that I would tell you about my, uh, my-" Frank was interrupted by the waitress who brought their food for them. Frank and Hazel leaned back as the set their platters in front of them. Annabeth moved her milkshake out of the way as steaming hot waffles were placed in front of her. The waitress left for a second and then came back, distributing a dollop of whipped cream in the middle of the waffles. _Fucking 24 hour breakfast. Score!_

Frank and Hazel leaned forward again. Hazel plopped a french fry into her mouth and nudged Frank along as he stumbled through his introduction again.

"My timer. I just, I feel like you should know. All of my friends know, and now that you are becoming part of the group I guess you should too." Annabeth scooped the whipped cream onto her mouth with a spoon. She loved whipped cream. She also loved maple syrup, which she drizzled lightly over the waffles. She wanted to give her full attention to Frank, but it had gotten kind of late and Annabeth was famished.

"My timer does this really weird thing where is doesn't...stay." Annabeth tilted her head sideways to show her confusion. "Like, it just keeps changing. It won't stay on one time. One second I will be two minutes from dying and then the next second I will be fifty years from death."

Frank began peeling back the white athletic bandage from his timer after having pushed his sleeve up. Hazel rubbed his shoulder reassuringly. When he finally peeled the whole thing off her crumpled it in his and and set it on the table. But Annabeth wasn't paying attention to that. She was looking at his constantly moving timer. He was right. It never stopped. It reminded Annabeth of one of those boards at train stations that flip through showing people boarding times. One second he was about to die tomorrow at 3:47 and then he was supposed to die in 47 years.

Annabeth stared at it for a long time, watching the times switch. Her waffles were starting to get cold when Hazel spoke up.

"I scares the bejesus out of me. Back when he used to keep it uncovered I used to panic every few seconds from thinking that it was his time. Finally he put a bandage over it and I calmed down a bit. But Lord if that isn't the scariest thing." Hazel fanned her face with her hands to show how flustered she would get. Annabeth gave her a small smile that she hoped showed her sympathy.

Frank dug around in his pockets before pulling out a roll of the same white athletic tape that he used to cover his timer. He pulled out a strand and then ripped it out before covering his timer again. Annabeth didn't even know she had been watching it until he did. She could understand why it would be very distracting to have it uncovered. She could feel her heart race just by watching it.

"Frank, can I ask you something? You won't be able to answer it, it's more of an opinion thing, but I just want to see your point of view."

"Uh, yeah. Shoot."

"Would people be happier without timers?"

Frank didn't answer right away. Sometimes when Frank was at a loss for words Hazel would swoop in and say what was on his mind, they were _that_ together, but Hazel remained silent too. She watched Frank struggle for an answer as she struggled for her own.

There really was no right answer. Well, actually, yes. There was. The 'right' answer was yes, timers improve lives. The help people know when they will die so they can prepare emotionally, financially, etc. That was the answer they were supposed to give, that they were fed since they could think. Just because it was the 'right' answer doesn't mean it was the truth.

But how could timers really be that great if they caused someone so much pain? How could they be helpful when they were so dysfunctional? Annabeth could name several people whose lives had been completely fucked over by timers, herself included.

"I honestly don't know. I can't even imagine a world without them." Frank finally replied. Hazel nodded in agreement with his answer. Annabeth sat lower in her seat and moved her straw to stir the melted remains of her milkshake. She was unsatisfied with Frank's answer, but she couldn't think of a better one.

Annabeth didn't know why she was questioning everything so much. In the past she had just accepted it and left it alone, whether she thought it was right or not. Maybe she wasn't as okay with her young death as she had originally thought. Actually, she knew she wasn't. She knew she wanted to live. It was probably the timer change. Her timer malfunctioning had led her to meet so many people with fucked up timers and had shown her how much they messed everything up. Ever since she became closer to the problem and the people everything seemed so much more _real._ It was no longer something that Annabeth learned in news articles and horror stories. Now that it was staring her in the face she could not ignore it any longer.

Timers did not improve her happiness. They made her _tired._ Annabeth was tired of losing people. She was tired of hiding. She was tired of bandages and sports tape. Of strangers giving her looks of pity following their quick glance at her wrist. She was tired of timers fucking her over.

;;;

The next day Annabeth had a hard time getting out of bed that morning. She just wanted to sit in bed all day wrapped in blankets and sleeping. But she got out anyway because she had math and English and Biology and even though it was an unhealthy way to think- sometimes school is more important than mental health.

And so she dragged herself out of bed and got dressed before heading to her first class of the day.

Math was horrible. She really didn't even need to be there, she had already read through this chapter and she couldn't pay attention anyway. Sometimes even Annabeth forgot she had ADHD, but that morning she had forgotten to take her meds and now her mind was wandering and her feet tapping.

After Math she had Biology which was on the south campus on the other side of town. She had to take a bus there and then back for English. Biology wasn't much better than Math and she wasn't sure it would even be worth it to go to English. She could just ask Hazel for her notes.

At the end of Biology Annabeth didn't even realise it had ended and all of the students had cleared out until her professor tapped her on the shoulder.

"Annabeth, are you alright?" He asked. Annabeth jumped and quickly started pushing her stuff into her bag.

"Yeah, yeah, just kinda spacing out."

"Okay, well take care of yourself." Annabeth smiled and nodded before shouldering her bag and taking off. The bus came nearly right after English, so Annabeth really had to rush.

Annabeth ran down the stairs and out to a small two lane street. The bus was arriving on the other side, picking up more exhausted college students. Annabeth hopped on one foot to the other, waiting for the light at the crosswalk she was at to tell her it was safe to go. She looked to her right. _Okay, no traffic._ And to her left. _No traffic._ The last few students were beginning to board the bus when Annabeth made the split second decision to fuck the light and run for it, hoping there were no cars that would suddenly appear out of thin air.

Annabeth held onto her bag and sprinted for the bus. She was across the first lane of traffic and crossing into the second when out of the corner of her eye she was a black car and heard brakes screeching. She just managed to scramble back to avoid getting hit. She bent forward, hands resting on her knees as she panted, her pulse racing.

The driver of the car opens the door and gets out of the car.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing!" The driver yells at her. Annabeth's head snapped up because _oh shit, she knows that voice._

"Percy?"

"Annabeth? What the hell were you doing? Are you trying to send yourself to the hospital?" Annabeth smiled sheepishly.

"I'm so sorry. I was just trying to catch my bus and I have been kind of out of it all day. I'm really tired and I think everything is finally catching up with me." Annabeth says. Percy's eyebrows scrunch up and he gives her a pitying look.

"You mean that bus?" He asks, pointing at the bus as it pulls away from the curb. Annabeth looks at it helplessly as it drives away.

"Yeah. That was the bus." Annabeth says. She kind of just wants to drop everything and lay down in the traffic. Maybe she can ask Percy to continue what she started and actually run her over.

"That sucks." Percy chuckles slightly. Annabeth looks at his car and gets an idea.

"Percy, do you think you can give me a ride?"

"Uhhh.." Percy says. He suddenly starts fiddling with his shirt and avoiding her eye contact. Annabeth doesn't need to be good at reading people to know that Percy wasn't planning on going to class.

"You were planning on skipping, weren't you?" Percy's silence only reassures her hypothesis. She waits a second before adding "can I come with?" Percy's eyebrows raise for a fraction of a second before he fades back into his usual 'I'm so cool and chill' self.

He walks over to the passenger door of the car and beckons Annabeth in.

"Hop on in." He says with a grin. Annabeth tries to ignore the flutter in her chest. She didn't know if it was from the thrill of skipping class or if it was from...something else. Whatever it was, Annabeth's not sure that she wants it to stop.

 **A/N: Okay y'all! I know the near end where she was questioning the timers seems kind of revolutionary and what not, but this is not an overthrow the government, make everything better story. This is a love story that is in a dystopian universe. Anyway, I have already got most everything planned out, but if there are some characters you want to make a cameo or if you have a good idea you want to share with me, please, go right on ahead. Nothing is set in stone. Tell me what you think will happen next. Where are Percy and Annabeth going to go? What will they talk about? Some major Percabeth next chapter and *spoiler* Annabeth and Luke are going to break up soon. ;)**

 **~Skulls-surround-suns**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: ;) Y'all know what I promised**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

" _Hop on in." He says with a grin. Annabeth tries to ignore the flutter in her chest. She didn't know if it was from the thrill of skipping class or if it was from...something else. Whatever it was, Annabeth's not sure that she wants it to stop._

Okay, nevermind. Maybe she did want it to stop. Annabeth couldn't stop noticing how Percy's car smelled like a comforting mixture of chlorine and coffee (like a home she never knew existed) and how Percy's hand was tapping lightly on the center divider (she could probably reach out and grab it). The pounding in her chest (and in her stomach honestly) was like a relentless alarm clock and Annabeth wished she could just press snooze forever.

Annabeth tries not to stare at Percy staring at the road, but it's hard when his hair is tousled just right and he keeps glancing over at her and smiling.

"Like what you see?" Percy teases.

"Everybody watches a trainwreck." Annabeth retorted. Percy snorted. "You smell like coffee." Annabeth said because he did.

"Coffee...in a good or a bad way?"

"Is there a good way?" Annabeth asked, teasingly. _Yes,_ her mind helpfully supplied. She helpfully told her mind to _shut the hell up._

"I got that job at Starbucks." Percy said instead of answering.

"Does that mean I get a discount?" Percy laughed loudly (Annabeth took it as a no).

"So where do you want to go?" Percy asked. "The beach, skating rink, amusement park, you could meet my mom…."

As Percy listed places Annabeth thought about where she wanted to go. _Where do I want to go…._ More than anything Annabeth just wanted to be gone. She wanted to be as far away from the drama as possible. Waking up and going about her day every day made her brain feel like it was slowly melting. She was just so stressed from school work and Silena and then the information overload from the timers and, oh wait, her Impending Death. She really just wanted to get away and forget for a while while listening to Percy's stupid jokes and being embraced by the smell of chlorine and coffee.

"Percy," She said, cutting him off. " Just drive. Surprise me."

Percy just grinned and nodded.

;;;

"You want to be a marine biologist, right?"

"I thought we already had the career talk?"

"Someone's aspirations have a lot to say about a person."

"Well, then what are your aspirations?"

"...To accomplish as much as I can before I die." Annabeth said. Percy was silent for a minute.

"My friend Grover is an environmental lawyer." Percy said finally. Annabeth felt a little annoyed that he was changing the subject, but Percy continued. "He's the one who really got me into marine biology. I mean, I always liked the sea, but he's the one who really made me want to help the creatures in it. Ever since then I think my aspiration has been...to make the world a better place."

Annabeth wanted to bury her head in her hands. _God, he's just too good._

"Annabeth, are you ok?" Percy asked, taking his eyes off of the road to glance at her. Annabeth pressed her lips together and nodded before turning toward the window to hide her blush.

;;;

"Family?" Percy asked.

"What about them?"

"Do you have any?" Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"No Percy, I just floated from the sky in a golden basket and landed at my father's doorstep." Percy returned her eyeroll.

"You know what I mean. You already know about my mom and dad. I also have a younger step-brother named Tyson, if I haven't told you. What's your family like?" _Carefull Annabeth, this could get messy._

"I have...a mother who I spend Christmas with. We don't get along so well, so I do not see her very often. And then I have a father and step-mother with two step brothers. But I haven't talked to them since I, well, since I haven't had to. So, since the beginning of college, three years ago."

"Wow. What happened?" Percy asked.

"We just don't get along." Annabeth snapped. Afterwards she guiltily sunk into her seat. "Sorry, I just...we just _really_ don't get along."

"Okay, okay. No pressure, but have you ever tried getting in contact again?" Annabeth shot a glare at him and Percy visibly recoiled. Annabeth tried to tone down her glare.

"I mean, maybe you should consider it. Just see if they want to see you. I'm sure they miss you." Annabeth crossed her arms and muttered some empty promises, swearing that she would.

;;;

"Annabeth? Annabeth, I'm sorry about bringing up your family earlier. I didn't know that you didn't have a good relationship." Percy said. Annabeth had been silent for a long time.

"It's alright," She said with a sigh. "You didn't know. I guess it's just something you would have learned eventually." Percy glanced over at her.

"The more I learn about you the more I like you." He said fondly. Annabeth snorted.

"What convinced you of that? Was it the controlling boyfriend or maybe the bad family relationships?"

"No, no! It's just...you're just so...you're just so cool. I'm glad you're my...friend." Percy chuckled slightly. "I'm just glad I have you around."

"Well, thanks Seaweed Brain. You're a much better friend than me, though." Annabeth said. Percy scoffed in disbelief.

"Why do you have such a low opinion of yourself?" Annabeth began to protest but he kept talking. "I mean, not that you don't think you can achieve anything you want or that you're a bad person, you just act like you don't think you deserve the world." Percy looked at Annabeth to see if she was listening. For a second his eyes found her own and her heart skipped a beat. His eyebrows scrunched together and Annabeth was tempted to take her finger and smooth them out. "Because you do," Percy said. "I would give the world to you if I could."

Annabeth sat back and his her head against the window in surprise. _That sounded an awful lot like…_ Percy cleared his throat and looked back at the road. Annabeth took a deep breath and tried to settle her racing heart. _I would give the world to you if I could._ Piper would probably die from excitement if she heard him say that.

"Are you sure you know where you're going?" Annabeth asked, trying to break the ice. The tension in the car was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm sure. No need to be concerned." Percy said, throwing a tense grin at her.

"Alright, alright. Just asking. I'm not sure if you would be able to find your way out of a paper bag without my help." She said. Percy laughed loud and happy, and just like that, the air was cleared.

;;;

"Percy, I'm going to take a nap. Wake me up if we stop or anything."

"Sure thing Wise Girl."

;;;

"Hey, hey Wise Girl. Wakey wakey." Annabeth heard Percy whisper above her.

"Mmmm." She groaned.

"Come on Sleeping Beauty. We are at a gas station. You told me to wake you up if we stopped…" Annabeth opened her eyes and found herself practically nose to nose with Percy. She imagined that her grey eyes must've widened comically before she tried to jerk away. Unfortunately her head just ricocheted off of her seat and she ended up head butting Percy. _Well that woke me up. But what was he doing with his face thisclose to mine? Jesus, he's going to give me a heart attack._

"Ouch! God, if I knew you were going to HEAD BUTT me I wouldn't have woken you up at all." Percy joked, rubbing the rising bump on his forehead.

"Sorry, I usually don't head butt people when I wake up." She muttered.

"Oh, and what do you usually do?" Percy said with a wink. _What's that even supposed to mean?_

"I judo flip them." Annabeth deadpanned. Percy laughed. That gave Annabeth just enough boldness to say "But when I woke up with your face so close to mine I nearly had a heart attack." Annabeth instantly regretted it. She tried to convince herself that it could be taken two different ways and that maybe Percy would take it the non flirty way...then she realized. _Am I flirting? I'm flirting! Oh no. Oh god no. This wasn't supposed to happen! He was off limits. What about Luke?_

Annabeth tried to ignore Percy's obvious blush (because she knew he would take it _that_ way) and occupied herself with digging around her bag for money. _I should really invest in a wallet,_ she thought absentmindedly. She cleared her throat. Percy tried to do the same but instead started awkwardly coughing. She waited for him to stop.

"I'm going to the store for food and drink. Do you want anything?"

"Um, can I have a cherry coke? And, I don't know, chocolate chips cookies? Here I'll give you some more money." He bent over to look for his wallet (because some people are responsible and actually have wallets).

"No, no, you can pay me back later. I'll just go now." Percy smiled at her and nodded, giving her a dorky little wave. Annabeth could feel her blush returning along with the flutter in her stomach. _I really need to sort this out._

Annabeth entered the store. It wasn't very interesting. It was pretty much like every other gas station store she had ever been to. Sad teenager sitting behind the counter? Check. Flickering fluorescent lights reflecting on scuffed linoleum? Check. Annabeth tilted her ear and could sort of make out the tune of Billie Jean by Michael Jackson. Soft, barely recognisable music? Check.

Annabeth strolled down the aisles and looked for chocolate chip cookies. She settled on Chips Ahoy! (good enough, right?) and then went in search of Percy's cherry cola. She grabbed a bottle of that and then a bottle of Ginger Ale for herself before moving towards the checkout. Then she doubled back and got a box of oreos (She had just finished Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda and she was craving them. But honestly, when was she not craving oreos?) and a large bag of m&ms.

Finally she plopped everything on the counter. The teenager glared at her, like he was upset that she was actually making him do his job, before closing his phone and ringing her up. He seemed to be making some effort though, as he tried to make conversation.

"Is that your boyfriend?" He asked, nodding to Percy, who was filling up the car with gas.

"Um, no. We're just friends. Strictly." Annabeth replied. The teenager raised his eyebrow.

"You should get together with him. He's hot." He said, handing her a bag with the food. Annabeth opened her mouth, but closed it in defeat. She wasn't going to tell this random guy at a gas station why that wasn't going to happen. Why it couldn't happen. She nodded goodbye and then walked out the door.

"Did you get the goods?" Percy asked. Annabeth grabbed the cookies out of the bag and tossed them to him. He caught them and grinned. Annabeth climbed into the car and put the drinks in the drink holders in the middle divider. She opened the oreos and twisted one open. Percy climbed into the car.

"On the road again?" He asked. Annabeth nodded and licked the cream from the oreo cookie.

;;;

Percy turned the radio up until it felt like the car was going to shake apart from the force of the music. Annabeth and Percy sang loudly to Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen and Annabeth danced, waving her hands in the air and throwing a Chip Ahoy! at Percy every once in awhile. Percy yelled the lyrics at the top of his lungs, awfully out of tune.

"I see a little silhouetto of a man,

Scaramouche, Scaramouche, will you do the Fandango?

Thunderbolt and lightning,

Very, very frightening me.

(Galileo) Galileo.

(Galileo) Galileo,

Galileo Figaro

Magnifico." Annabeth laughed and Percy looked over at her. He made a face and she laughed even louder, her laughing turning into hiccuping as Percy had to swerve hitting a car. He turned the volume down.

"Okay, I think that's enough." He glanced out at Annabeth and burst out laughing again. "What are you doing?!

Annabeth's cheeks were puffed out and her face was turning red. She tried to signal with her hands that she couldn't talk, that she was holding her breath, but that just made him laugh louder. Maybe that's where he got his abs. From laughing so much. Annabeth let out her breath in one big gasp.

"I was holding my breath." She said.

"Why?"

"To get rid of my hiccups."

"That never works with me."

"It always works with me." Percy didn't say anything for a second. He seemed like he was searching for a new topic.

"You seem to know a lot of music. What are your favorite bands?" He asked. Annabeth began to answer when Percy interrupted her. "No, no, no! What is your guilty pleasure band and song?" Percy glanced at her and his eyes glittered mischievously. Annabeth's heart jumped. _I really need to figure this out._ Annabeth thought for a second.

"Beyonce."

"No way."

"Yes way." She responded. "Piper got me introduced and I just couldn't stop. She is such a queen." Annabeth could tell Percy was trying not to laugh.

"And your guilty pleasure song?"

"Either Partition or Formation." At that Percy burst out laughing.

"I don't even know those songs, just the idea of you liking Beyonce is really funny. I thought you would be a total music snob."

"Hey!"

"I want to listen to your guilty pleasure songs."

"No way."

"Please. I don't mind Beyonce. I even like some of her songs. I just don't know an of her newer stuff."

"Still no way. You are going to tease me so much. No. Way."

"Annabeth, I promise I'll keep the teasing at a minimum." Percy looked at her with his baby seal eyes and Annabeth knew she would eventually break. Might as well get it over with. She turned found the song Partition on youtube and hit play.

One minute into the song and Annabeth knew that this was actually a great idea. Forget teasing Annabeth, Percy was the one who would be chirped endlessly. His blush had spread to his neck at the racy lyrics in her song and when Annabeth began to sing along the expression on his face was priceless. Annabeth wished she had a camera.

After she played Formation (and sang to it the whole way through- even she was surprised) Percy pulled over to a handlebar on the road. Annabeth had been so busy watching Percy and singing that she hadn't noticed that they had started driving through mountains. She could see snow on the ground around the parked car and on the trees. _We must be pretty high up._

Percy sat and stared at Annabeth for a full thirty seconds before finally saying "Holy shit.". He shook his head, impressed, and pulled back onto the winding road. Annabeth watched him keep shaking his head and watched his blush slowly recede. _I wish I could make him blush like that more often,_ She thought. _Oh God, I_ really _need to sort this out._

;;;

"Percy, pull over."

"Hmm?"

"Pull over. Now." Annabeth demanded. Percy's eyes gazed over her in concern before he shrugged and pulled onto the side of the road. Annabeth got out of the car (it was a relief to stretch her legs) and walked over to his side of the car.

"Get out." She said, opening his door.

"What?"

"Get out. I'm driving."

"Annabeth, no. It's fine. You don't even know where we're going." Percy protested. Annabeth had to admit that he made a good point, but he looked like he was about to fall asleep at the wheel and Annabeth would really rather avoid plunging off of a cliff.

"Percy, you look exhausted because you've been driving for what? Four hours? You're like a Percy zombie. I think you need to take a nap while I drive for a bit. It's only fair."

"But you don't know where we're going." He repeated. As she said- Percy zombie.

"Just give me directions." She said. Percy looked at her blurrily and scratched his jaw.

"But that'll take the romance out of it." He said with a yawn. Annabeth tried to not focus on the word 'romance' because he was obviously tired and not thinking straight (and she didn't want to get her hopes up).

"No it won't. I've never been to the mountains- I won't know what the place is." Percy sighed. He pulled up google maps on his phone and handed it to her. Then her awkwardly climbed over the middle divider and slumped down into the passenger seat. Annabeth got into the driver's seat and buckled her seatbelt.

"Seatbelt." She told Percy. He sleepily rolled his eyes at her and buckled his seatbelt. Annabeth could feel his eyes on her and so she nudged him slightly.

"Sleep." She demanded. Percy rolled over toward the window where Annabeth could see that his eyes were closed. She sighed and started the car again. She pulled onto the road after taking a look at the directions on Percy's phone.

Unfortunately Annabeth didn't think about what she would do now. With Percy sleeping she was left alone with her thoughts and had nothing to distract her. The sun had started to set a while ago and now only a soft light was visible from behind the mountains. It was casting a heavenly glow around Percy and Annabeth wanted to reach out and take his hand and run her fingers through his messy hair. Oh. _That._ That was what she should be thinking about.

Annabeth grimaced at her reflection in the rearview mirror as she let herself admit it.

 _I have a crush on Percy._

Well. Well that complicated things. Of course she knew before how she felt about Percy, but she had never admitted it to herself. _I have a crush on Percy._ She had thought that saying- or thinking those words would make it easier. Like help her get over her feelings or something. If anything it just amplified how much she liked him. Saying those words just reminded her of how much she loved the smell of chlorine and coffee. How much she loved his eyes when he smiled. How much she wished to trace the places where his fingers touched his face with her lips.

But she knew how irrelevant that was. No matter how much she liked him or whether she admitted it to herself or to the whole world didn't change the fact that she had a boyfriend. It didn't change the fact that she was going to die in roughly six months. She knew that maybe Percy was the one who would change that. Who would save her and extend her life. But that was uncertain. There wasn't enough research on timers to know what would happen. And what would he do if she let herself fall in love with him only to die six months later. It was just cruel.

For now friendship was enough. She knew in six months it would be painful to everyone of her friends, especially her closest ones, but she would like to keep the damage at a minimum. She would keep Percy at a distance.

Percy rolled over in his sleep and she could see his face. He had a trail of dried drool at the corner of his mouth and his hair was messier that Annabeth thought was possible. _I can't believe I ended up falling for such a kelp head,_ Annabeth laughed to herself.

;;;

"Seaweed Brain, wake up." Annabeth shook Percy. He blinked up at her and smiled sloppily. He sat up and rubbed his eyes before grinning dopily at her.

"You drool when you sleep." She told him. He fake pouted and Annabeth laughed. Percy got out of the car and looked around. His face brightened and Annabeth took it as an opportunity to observe her surroundings.

It was dark out. Not that it was very late- only six or seven, but it was winter so the sun set much earlier. It was also very cold and Annabeth shivered. This high up and it had already snowed, great heaps of white visible from the empty lookout where they were situated. A huge lake spread out in the near distance, the slight silhouettes of the mountains reflected in the water. Annabeth could barely make out the form of trees close by, and she could see vague black shape that she guessed were the mountains dark against the dark blue of the sky. What really took her breath away were the stars. Up above were millions of stars, glittering over her head. The milky way stretched across the sky and Annabeth could make out some of her favorite constellations.

While Annabeth was admiring the sky Percy had gotten out some blankets and pillows and rested them on the hood of the car.

"Come on." Percy said, patting the car. Annabeth climbed on top next to him and wrapped herself in the blanket he handed to her. She lied down next to him, looking up at the stars.

"You really like stars." She said. She could feel Percy shrug beside her.

"My mom used to tell me stories about them. I can't recognise any of the constellations, but I remember all of the stories." Percy sounded nostalgic.

"I know what the constellations look like." Annabeth offered. Percy looked at her hopefully and Annabeth caught her breath. She didn't realize they were this close.

"Do you think you could show me?" Percy asked softly. Annabeth didn't remember why she had originally thought he was so loud and obnoxious because right now he was so quiet and so gentle and Annabeth was so so fucked.

"Yeah. I could." Annabeth pointed at a line of three stars in the sky. " well, that's orion's belt-"

"Oh, I know that story…" Percy began telling her the stories of each constellations she pointed out, from Cassiopeia to Draco. Annabeth found herself just listening to the sound of Percy's voice, not even what he was saying, and looking at him animatedly talk about the greek myths. Eventually Percy looked at her and slowed down until he was silent and they were just looking at each other. Percy glanced down at Annabeth's lips and then back at her eyes. Annabeth's breath turned shallow and Percy started to lean in.

When their lips met it was like...like magic. Like fireworks. Every cliche she had ever heard corresponded to this kiss. Annabeth felt as though her whole life she had been sleeping, but now she was awake, oh so awake, and it was _amazing_.

Percy's eyes were closed and he tasted like shitty chocolate chip cookies. She ran her hands through his hair and to the back of his neck, pulling him in closer. Everything was amplified, like Annabeth with the volume turned up. Turned way up. Percy twisted his fingers in her frizzy curls and sighed into the kiss. More than anything Annabeth wanted to pull him even closer, until she could feel his heartbeat. She wanted to fulfill her dreams of kissing his jawline and loving the dimples in his smile. But she knew she couldn't. _Distance._ Regretfully she pulled away from him, panting as she tried to catch her breath.

"Shit, I'm sorry." Percy said as she put literal distance between them. Percy put a hand over his eyes, his eyebrows crinkling in the middle in that way that made Annabeth want to smooth them out.

"No, no, it's okay. I just.."

"I know. The boyfriend."

"No, that's not...I don't think that's going to go on for much longer." Percy uncovered his eyes and looked a her. Annabeth looked down at his hand and grabbed it. Percy's eyes widened. Annabeth moved in closer.

"Tonight...can we pretend that we could?" She said quietly, almost whispering. Percy looked into her eyes for a second before squeezing her hands.

"Just for tonight." Percy echoed. _Fuck distance,_ Annabeth thought as she leaned in for another kiss.

;;;

Annabeth looked at their conjoined hands on the middle divider. Being with Percy...like this...everything seemed so much...more. The universe seemed to hold so many more possibilities. Annabeth didn't want it to be over after tonight. She didn't want it to ever be over. She didn't know what she would do about Luke. She didn't know what would happen with her and Percy. She didn't even know for certain when she would die (and that was supposed to be the one guaranteed thing one could count on). But one thing she did know was tonight the universe held all of the possibilities in the world and she felt infinite.

 **A/N: ;) We are going to have some angst soon, just a heads up. But yeah, Percabeth. Sorry that wasn't very long, but it's hard to just come up with conversations. I realized how little I actually talk to people about things that are happening in the moment, so it was hard. Anyway, I already know what happens next, but do you? I gave you the hint about Luke before, but I can tell you that that will not be the only source of drama coming up. I am going on a trip, so no updates in a while, but I'll try to make the next one a good one. Please fave, follow and review!**

 **-skulls-surround-suns**


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Oh my god, I am so sorry! I know I have been gone for so long and you have my full apology. I can't say this will never happen again, but I will try my hardest to update more regularly. My life has just been super hectic. But here is the next chapter. Credit to those who deserve it- I don't even know if anyone said anything that I used in this chapter, but if I took your advice then Thank You Very Much. Anyway, I won't keep you any longer- enjoy.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth stirred her chai indignantly. She looked at the clock impatiently. It was still fifteen minutes until Percy got off his shift. The Starbucks was not very crowded and Annabeth could see him across the room, talking happily with a customer. Annabeth brought the cup to her lips to take a drink, hissing as the liquid scalds her tongue. She glanced at the clock again. Not even a minute had passed. Annabeth tried to concentrate on her book, the one she brought specifically for this purpose, but then comes the second reason she was so...annoyed? Unsettled? Annabeth couldn't quite place the emotion.

The red haired monstrosity came into view from behind the counter, resting her hand on Percy's shoulder as she passed him to get to the flavoured syrups. Annabeth squirmed in discomfort. Rachel Dare had been working for about six months before Percy and was therefore his mentor. Annabeth knew that it was only right that they are close- they are spending a lot of time together at work- but Annabeth can't help but feel that icky feeling rise up in her chest again.

Annabeth buried her nose in her book- literally. She breathed through her nose and then exhaled loudly. The book unsurprisingly smelled like book, but it was strangely comforting. It reminded Annabeth of her mother- how she used to be when Annabeth had more time. That reminded her- she should probably make sure her mother was okay with her coming over for Thanksgiving. Annabeth tried to make sure she remembered to do that. She made the mistake of glancing at the clock again. Only five minutes had passed and Annabeth groaned in frustration.

From behind the counter Annabeth could see Percy smile charmingly at a customer. It made her stomach flop and her knees feel weak. It reminded her if their kiss two weeks ago. 'Pretending' she had called it at the time. Now she just called it 'a mistake'. Though maybe not. When the customer turned away Percy flashed her a smile, _He did kiss me back,_ Annabeth recalled. _That had to mean something._

Annabeth tried to distract herself with her book again, but was stuck rereading the same sentence over and over again. _God, could time move any slower?_

Annabeth jumped when she felt a hand on her back.

"Hey, Rachel let me get off early today. She's covering for me." Percy said, his face so close to hers that she could smell the too sweet coffee on his breath. Annabeth looked past him a t Rachel, who wiggled her fingers at he when she caught her staring. Rachel's hands were always covered in paint flecks, it was a wonder they weren't considered a health hazard.

Percy pushed a warm cup into her hands. Annabeth sniffed it experimentally.

"What's this?" Annabeth asked. It smelled suspiciously like coffee.

"A pumpkin mocha breve." Percy said, grinning knowingly.

"You didn't!" Annabeth exclaimed. Pumpkin mocha breves were a drink from one of her favorite books.

"I looked up how to make them. I visited like, ten sites."

Annabeth took a sip of the drink and then scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"Damn. I wish I liked coffee."

Percy frowned. Then he went right back to smiling, handing Annabeth a drink that she didn't notice he had.

"Good thing I made another one with no coffee." He said, trading his drink for hers. She took a drink and smiled.

"You are my favorite person right now," She said. His eyes crinkled up when he smiled. "But why didn't you just give this one to me the first time, seaweed brain?!" Annabeth said, elbowing his side playfully.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked, pulling on a jacket.

"Yeah, let's go."

Percy opened the door for Annabeth and she walked out, looking behind her to see if Percy was coming. She waited for Percy to hold the door for a few more people before yanking him away.

"Now, you're just being excessively polite. Those people have arms." She said, dragging him away before he could stand there holding the door open for anyone leaving the shop. She dropped his hand quickly when they started walking on their way. She didn't want to tempt herself.

"So," Percy said, pausing to take a sip of his drink. "I was thinking and I don't think you've ever properly walked around town."

"I have! I just...don't see a need to go somewhere I don't need to. I walk to the store and to my classes. I see the town then." She protested. _And on dates with Luke,_ she didn't say.

"Well, I am going to give you the grand tour!" Percy said, spreading his arms in a grand gesture.

"The grand tour?" Annabeth asked, unimpressed.

"The grand tour!" Percy repeated. "We'll see the best landmarks, like the fountain and that weird statue of yoda. And we can go to the gardens and see the library-"

"I've been to the library."

"Well, then we're already started. Where do you want to go first?" Percy asked her. Annabeth pretended to ponder it for a minute and stroked her chin, jokingly.

"Show me the gardens." She said. Percy laughed and grabbed her hand, dragging her to the bus stop (Annabeth tried to ignore the tingles that ran up her arm when their hands touched).

;;;

"Well this is anticlimactic."

Percy and Annabeth stood at the entrance to the gardens, just beyond the fence. They stared at the shriveled rose bushes and yellowed tufts of native grass.

"I swear it's really pretty usually. You know, when it's not-"

"Winter?" Annabeth finished for him.

"Yeah. Well, technically it's still fall, but when it's not reaching the negatives at night." They stared at the sad excuse for a garden for another minute before Annabeth was wishing Percy would say something. Maybe along the lines of "let's go somewhere warm". Unfortunately he just adjusted his jacket and stepped through the fence and further into the "garden".

"The yoda statue is this way." Percy said when he noticed Annabeth wasn't following him. She shoved her face into her scarf and did an awkward jog/shuffle to catch up with him.

They walked next to each other for a short way in silence. Annabeth's hands were cold and she wished she could just reach down and grab his. She loved Percy's hands. They were a perfect balance of soft and rough and he had long fingers. _Pianist fingers,_ Annabeth thought, though she didn't know if he had ever tried playing an instrument. From the few times she had indulged herself and grabbed his hand (never for a long time- she was weak not stupid) she knew they were warm, almost hot. They were the opposite of her small, cold hands. She recalled a post on tumblr that talked about the merits of hands reaching perfect temperature equilibrium. She had to agree.

She was thinking about Percy's hands too much. That had to be weird, right? _Maybe I have a thing for hands,_ Annabeth thought. _Or maybe it's just for Percy._ Annabeth shoved her hands into her jacket pockets.

Percy bumped his shoulder into Annabeth's.

"Alright?"

Annabeth nodded and smiled, though she feared it was more of a grimace. She hoped her face wasn't too red, whether from the cold or from just having Percy pay attention to her. _God, when did I become so hopeless._ A small smile ghosted on Percy's lips.

"Good. It's right around these trees." He said, gesturing to a group of pines. They followed the trail around the trees and came to a small stone area with a statue at it's center. A short bronze yoda sat on a pedestal facing them. Annabeth moved a bit closer. Some students seemed to have stuck googly eyes on yoda's eyes. The effect was nerve wrecking. It looked like yoda was watching you wherever he went.

"There are googly eyes on him." Annabeth told Percy, who had come up behind her.

"Haha, yeah. I know. I put them there."

"You put them there?! When?" Annabeth asked incredulously.

"Sometime during my first year. Leo, Jason and I just decided it would be funny and so we super glued them on." He tapped one of the eyes as if to prove his point.

"Leo, I should have known."

Percy just laughed at that, his breath coming out in little puffs of air. Annabeth smiled slightly; happy that he was happy. That she was making him happy.

"Okay, do you mind if we go? I'm freezing my tits off." Percy finally said after looking at yoda for a little longer.

"Oh my god, _yes please_." Annabeth said gratefully. They hurried back through the garden and to the bus stop, just making it in time to catch the next one. Percy moved to the center of the bus and Annabeth sat down in the seat behind his. He turned around in his seat, unfazed.

"You're from…"

"California." Annabeth confirmed.

"California!" Percy repeated after her like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "So the cold must be a bitch, right?"

"Well, I guess so. I have lived here for two years."

Percy stared at her expectantly for a second before she relented and said: "But yeah, the cold's a bitch."

Percy disappeared behind the seat for a second before he turned into her seat. She scooted over and he collapsed against the seat of the bus. Annabeth could practically feel the heat radiating off him.

"Do you have any Thanksgiving plans?" Annabeth said as a quick conversation starter. She was scared of what she might do if she wasn't talking. She regretted her decision as soon as the word left her mouth.

"Not really. I think I'm just going to stay here with my mom. You?" He said casually. Annabeth winced internally. _How to make it sound like she is looking forward to this holiday..._

"Just going up to New York to visit my mum." She said. Simply was the best way to go. The less he knew, the less he'd question. Telling him about her relationship with her mum would be telling him about her timer, and she was too far gone to do that.

"New York, eh! That's where I'm from! We moved from there before my first year." Percy's eyes brightened when he mentioned his old home. Annabeth was surprised to learn that he had been living here for longer than this year.

"Then how were you able to keep the accent?" Annabeth blurted.

"Accent? Percy asked, his eyebrows drawing together in a confused expression. "I have an accent?"

Annabeth blushed.

"I suppose." She said slowly.

"Annabeth...would you call it a …. sexy accent?" Percy asked, leaning in and wiggling his eyebrows. Annabeth buried her head in her hands and groaned when her head unhelpfully answered _yes._

"I know I shouldn't have mentioned your stupid accent. I'll only inflate your overly large ego." She told him from behind her hands as he tipped his head back and cackled. "If anything you sound like a 50's gangster." She told him. If possible, he laughed even louder.

Annabeth allowed herself a laugh and she started to giggle along with Percy. The bus driver was shooting them dirty looks, but thankfully they were the only ones on the bus. It was already getting kind of late, they had spent the whole afternoon on the bus and in the gardens and now it was nearing six o'clock. Since it was late fall the sky was already dark.

"Percy, I should probably head back to my dorm." She said. Percy stopped laughing and frowned.

"Already?" He looked at his watch and sighed. "Early class?" She nodded. "Alright, I'll walk you to your dorm from the bus stop."

"You don't need to do that." Annabeth said, but he held his hand up.

"I don't want anything to happen to you. Who knows what kind of creeps hang out around this time of day in the dark. I'm walking you back." He had an "I won't take no for an answer" face and a point, so Annabeth complied.

"Okay, sure-" Annabeth's phone chimed. She took it out of her bag unlocked it. It was Piper.

 **P- My house, now. 9-1-1.**

Annabeth furiously tapped the keys as she typed her response.

 **A- On my way.**

"Actually, I'm going to Piper's house. She needs me." Annabeth told Percy.

"Alright, I'm gonna walk you there."

;;;

"So what's the emergency?" Percy asked once they were walking outside. It was completely dark out, the only thing Annabeth could see was the glow cast by the street lamps and there breath coming out in puffs of mist.

"I have no idea. She just texted saying 9-1-1."

"9-1-1, eh? Then why aren't we walking faster?" He said, picking up his pace with a small smile. Annabeth jogged to keep up with his extra long legs. Unfairly long, really.

When they reached Piper's apartments she slowed down to let him know that they were there. She stopped under a street lamp, it's light casting a perfect circle around her, broken only by her shadow. Annabeth felt a little like an angel descending from handing. Or a messenger in a video game giving someone a side quest. Either worked.

"This is Piper's flat. I can take it from here." Annabeth said. Percy stared up at the apartments.

"Okay. Good luck with that emergency," He said, looking back at Annabeth. "I'll see you soon? I know you're leaving in a few days for Thanksgiving, but we can get together before that, at least for a little bit."

"Yeah, of course." Annabeth reached for his arm as if to reassure him, but decided against it and pretended to be holding her hand out in a fist bump. Percy raised an eyebrow and bumped his fist against hers. In an attempt to break the awkward silence Annabeth tried to clear her throat but ended up choking.

"Oh please," She said, still coughing. "Get your eyebrow down from there." Percy laughed and she decided to milk it. "Seriously, it looks like it's trying to run away and disappear into your hairline." Percy chuckled and beamed at her before wiggling his eyebrows. Annabeth laughed.

"Okay, but seriously, I should probably go."

"Alright. I'll see you mmm, tuesday, okay?"

Annabeth nodded before waving and walking into the building. She got into the elevator (because who has time for stairs) and rested against the wall. Now that she wasn't being distracted by Percy she began to worry. What was Piper's emergency? Was she hurt? Did Jason dump her? _Did her timer malfunction?_

The elevator dinged open before Annabeth was ready, but she all but ran to Piper's door anyway. She was expecting the worst. If Piper didn't answer when Annabeth knocked she was going to try to kick the door down.

She drew her hand up and began to knock, but her knuckles barely touched the wood before a hand was grabbing her and dragging her inside.

"Piper, what the hell!" Annabeth yelled as she tripped into Piper's flat. Piper cackled and dragged her to the couch.

"Sit!" She demanded. Annabeth sat, too confused to protest. Piper bent down and flicked a switch. A bright light was shined in Annabeth's face. A flashlight set on a stack of books.

"I will repeat, what. The. Hell."

"This is an interrogation." Piper's voice came from behind the light.

"An interrogation? Piper, get that fucking light out of my face. What do you mean and interrogation?" Annabeth demanded. Piper turned the light off and Annabeth blinked, trying to adjust to the sudden dark.

"Annabeth, you haven't been telling me a lot recently. Like where are you all of the time? What's going on with Luke? Is the timer thing still going on? And what the Hell is your relationship with Percy?!" She yelled that last question and plopped down onto the couch next to Annabeth. She turned and crossed her legs to face her and sighed. "We haven't seen each other in a week."

Annabeth copied Piper's form and rested her hands on Piper's knees.

"I know, I'm sorry. Things have just been...hectic." Annabeth said. Piper pouted. "I guess now that we're together I could answer all of your questions…"

Piper's eyes brightened considerably and she exclaimed "yes" while running to reaching for her flashlight.

"Piper, Piper...there's no need for the flashlight." Annabeth took the flashlight out of Piper's hands and set it to the side.

"Okay," Piper said, disappointedly. "First question: Where are you all of the time? You are never by your dorm anymore. By the way, Silena has been wondering too. And whenever I look for you or call you you are never in your usual places and your phone is always off."

"I know, I'm sorry. I tend to be in Starbucks a lot. And I hang out with Percy more now." Annabeth said. She didn't mention that Starbucks was where Percy was.

"Starbucks? You don't even like- never mind. Just- hang out with me more. I miss you."

"Piper, we've been apart for longer. It's only been a week." Annabeth said.

"I know. I still miss you. You're my best friend. I want to have Harry Potter marathons and talk about boys and girls."

"Piper I- I promise we can hang out more. We can get together this weekend? Have a Harry Potter marathon?" Annabeth asked weakly. Piper smiled slightly and nodded. She grabbed Annabeth's hands.

"Next question: What's going on with Luke?"

"I don't know. He been getting on my nerves lately. I've been noticing things. He always blames everything on me. And some things are okay when he does it, but not okay when I do. And he is constantly telling me what to do. It's like I have no say in _our_ relationship. I don't think," Annabeth lowered her voice to a whisper. "I don't think I love him anymore. I don't know if I ever really loved him."

Piper pressed her lips together. She scrunched her eyebrows in the middle like she was making an effort.

"Oh my god, just say it!" Annabeth laughed, the previous serious atmosphere gone as soon as Piper started to snicker.

"This is so good for you! He is a total fascist!" Piper said loudly. Annabeth groaned.

"Uuuhhgg, you were so right."

"I told you so." Piper said smugly.

"I know. I know you did, and I never listened. God. What should I do?" Annabeth moaned, grabbing a pillow and burying her face in it.

"Annabeth, there is only one thing you can do. You have to break up with him." Piper said, matter of factly.

"I know I should, but is it really worth it…?" She said quietly. By the look on Piper's face she had heard the unsaid part of Annabeth's question. _I don't have much time left anyway._

"Annabeth, of course it matters. You should be happy even if…" _Even if you're about to die in about six months._

"I know. I will. Soon, I promise. I don't think he'll take it well, though." Annabeth sighed. She knew he wouldn't take it well. She wished she had a bigger reason to break up with him than 'I don't like you'. Something he couldn't argue against. "Next question please." Annabeth pleaded. She wanted to change the subject as fast as possible.

"Is the timer thing still going on?" Piper relented.

"Yeah."

"So if you stay with Percy…"

"Then I'll live."

"Oh….Speaking of Percy...what is going on with you two?"

Annabeth could tell that this is what Piper had been wanting to ask all night.

"I-I really like him. And I know he likes me too. I just don't know what to do. I don't want to tell him about the timer thing because I don't want him to think that was the only reason I hung out with him. Well, originally it was, but it isn't anymore. And since we kissed we've just been skirting around each other but we hang out all of the time. I really like spending time with him, but I don't want to pretend that my feelings are-"

"Wait, wait, wait. _You kissed him?!_ When?! And you haven't told him about the timer thing?! Annabeth, he's going to find out somehow, shouldn't you tell him as early as possible?!" Piper hissed.

"I don't want him to leave." Annabeth said in a small voice. "And we kissed in the mountains under the stars." She added smugly. It _was_ pretty damn romantic.

"Oh Annabeth, you problem child. I get it. I still think you should tell him. And under the stars- that's pretty damn romantic. Were you nerding out about the constellations?"

"We both were."

"Well obviously it's meant to be." Piper rolled her eyes, but grinned nonetheless. "Is he as much of a greek mythology nerd as you are?"

"No one is as much of a greek mythology nerd as me. But yeah, he loves it. Apparently his mum used to read him the stories when he was a kid and so we stayed up all night talking about them."

"So he's a mama's boy, then?"

Annabeth laughed. "Totally. It's the most adorable thing. He goes absolutely batshit crazy when he talks about his mum- he adores her."

"I remember you complaining about him to me before though. Isn't he super loud and kind of a dufus?" Piper asked pointedly.

"Oh totally. He's a complete kelp head. Do you know that yoda statue at the gardens? Apparently he put the googly eyes on it. And he's still super loud- too loud honestly, but I don't even care. He's not perfect, but who is? Everything he does I just find oddly endearing. I couldn't care less that he's loud. I don't care that he can be a total idiot sometimes. He lies me despite all of my many imperfections and so I will like him despite his."

"Wow, you're pretty head over heels for this guy. And I didn't even know that there was a yoda statue, nevertheless a garden." Piper said. He expression had softened during Annabeth's rant and Annabeth wondered if she looked like that when Piper talked about Jason. Maybe you had to know what love felt like first to really appreciate someone else's.

"You should. I think your boyfriend took part in that." Annabeth told her. Piper shook her head and laughed.

"Wonderfull. I'm dating a trouble maker. I never thought I would ever be saying that about Jason." Piper said. Annabeth laughed. "But Annabeth, seriously. What are you going to do?"

"I honestly don't know. I really really like Percy, but I have never not been with Luke. Even before we were romantically involved we were best friends. Him, Thalia and me. Three peas in a pod. I don't know how to have a life without him."

"Well, you are able to live without Thalia."

"But that's different. She's in a coma. It's not like I had any choice in whether she would try to remove her timer. If it comes down to staying with Luke and being slightly unhappy or leaving him and having my world torn apart I don't know if I will be able to leave."

"Annabeth, you'll just have to take that leap. Sometimes the world has to be torn apart so that it can be stitched back together with better pieces." Piper said softly.

"When did you get to be so wise." Annabeth teased. Piper smiled and leaned her forehead against Annabeth's.

"I think you should just give it a shot. I know you like to plan things out and go for the logical choice, but you can't plan your feelings. With Percy and Luke and your future- you can't control everything. You need to accept that. Let it scare you. You need to trust that it'll be okay anyway."

"I don't know if I can."

"Well _I_ know you can. You just need to take the first leap."

Annabeth took a deep breath and leaned away from Piper. Piper leaned back and crossed her arms.

"Thanks Pipes. I think...I think I will." Annabeth said.

"Good." Piper replied. "I'm glad. But you don't have to do it now. Now…" Piper looked at the clock, "Now you have to sleep. Go to your dorm. It's late. Maybe spend the day tomorrow with Silena. Pack. Move at your own pace. And Annabeth,"

"Yeah?"

"I'm here when you need me. And I need you to be there when I need you. Don't disappear on me again. Because I always need you." Piper grinned and stood up from the couch. She held out her hand and Annabeth grabbed it. Piper helped her up and started leading Annabeth to the door.

"Are you sure I can't just stay here?" Annabeth asked. It was late and she didn't want to walk home by herself.

"You should go hang out with Silena. You sleep there every night but she still misses you. And just ask lover boy to walk you home." Piper said with a wink. Annabeth shook her head, smiling.

"Okay. Good night." Annabeth stepped through the door.

"Good night." Piper said back. She waved and closed the door. Annabeth sighed and got out her phone. Instead of calling Percy she would just let him know that she was walking home.

 **A- I'm walking home from Piper's house. No need to come get me. Just wanted to let you know**

A reply came almost immediately.

 **P- stay where you are. Im coming to get u**

Annabeth smiled fondly at her phone, but stopped once she realized what she was doing. _Percy is like a fire,_ Annabeth thought in a poor attempt at being poetic. She always thought that if she got too close she's get burned, but Piper made her realize that she had always been flameproof.

Percy jogged up to the front of the building where she was standing in the same circle of light as before, wearing a bg smile even though it was apparent she had woken him up. God, Annabeth liked him so fucking much.

And now nothing was stopping her from lighting the match.

;;;

 **A/N: Sorry if I got some things wrong or if the story facts were inconsistent. As I said I am very busy and I am writing this over a period of several day when I can find the time and** _**I don't have a beta.**_ **It's a little shoddy, but I hope it's not too bad. If there are any big mistakes then I will try to fix them, just let me know. How do you think Thanksgiving is going to go? Do you want to meet Thalia? More Leo? More Rachel and jealous Annabeth? Let me know in the reviews and don't forget to follow and favorite.**

 **-Skulls_surround_suns**


	16. Chapter 16- Thanksgiving 1

**A/N: Hey y'all! I am back! Sorry for being away so long, life just kinda got in the way. I will try not to do that again. And a big thank you to my wonderful Beta Sunday Storm! They are amazing! This is part one of my Thanksgiving chapters, so you will hopefully see the next one within the week if I have enough time to write. I hope y'all like this (sorry it is so short, I just wanted to give y'all content asap) and please comment!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

"Mum? Mum, I am at the front. By the spotted busses. Yeah, I see your car." Annabeth hung up her phone and waved at her mum, Athena, who was pulling up besides the curb at the airport. She opened the back of her mother's small, yellow car and set her luggage down before climbing into the shotgun seat.

"Hey, Mum." She said, buckling her seat belt.

"Buckle up." Athena replied.

"I already did."

Athena pulled away from the curb and started driving through the awful JFK airport traffic. Annabeth looked out the window and watched the buildings outside as they drove to Athena's apartment in Manhattan. Athena talked to someone on her bluetooth, another work conference. Annabeth sighed and blew her breath on the window and then drew a small face. She ignored her mum's look of annoyance.

This is going to be like all of the other holidays with her, Annabeth thought unhappily. It's not that she didn't love her mum, if only out of obligation, it was that sometimes she wasn't sure if her mum even loved her. She always spent every holiday working, in countless conferences and meetings with potential clients. Athena was a big city interior architect. She looked at the inside of people's houses and remodeled and designed it in the best, safest and most stylish way. Annabeth had always thought exterior architecture was more interesting than internal though.

Annabeth put in her headphones as they crossed the brooklyn bridge and headed for Manhattan. Annabeth listened to a playlist that Percy had made for her before the vacation "to remember him by". Annabeth smiled to herself. Like I could ever forget Percy Jackson.

"Annabeth, dear. You need to get out before I pull in. The space on your side is too small." Athena said. Annabeth nodded and got out of the door and then watched as Athena pulled into the tiny space in the parking garage underneath the apartments. She wrapped her arms around her body and shivered. It was almost colder here than at the university.

Annabeth's mother helped her unload her bags from the back of the car and they walked over to the lift. Annabeth reached over to press the button before her mum could. Athena rolled her eyes.

"Okay Annabeth, I am going to have to leave a day earlier than was originally planned. My trip to Florida has been moved up." She said once they were in the elevator. Annabeth nodded mutely. She knew not to protest, it wouldn't get her anything. Annabeth might be her daughter, but work was the love of Athena's life and always came first.

"That means I am staying for...today and tomorrow?" Annabeth asked.

"I already got your plane tickets to go back. I can give them to you once we are inside." Athena told her. The elevator dinged open on the correct floor and they stepped out. They walked down the carpeted hallway, Athena leading the way and Annabeth dragging her bags and staring at the floor behind her. She was sad to note that the carpet wasn't even a hideously ugly pattern or colour. Just concrete grey- the most boring colour in the world.

Athena stopped at a door, number 8 on the fifth floor, and unlocked it. She stepped inside and Annabeth had to hurry to stop the door from slamming shut in her face. She dragged her bags inside and observed the flat.

It was no different than the last time she had been here. The same pristine, never-been-lived-in kind of look. Everything was white marble and grey stainless steel, like a mix of past and present. Annabeth hated to admit how much she liked the idea.

Annabeth walked to her room while her mum closed the door of the study that she had just disappeared into. She disposed of her bags and grabbed a huge jacket and gloves and a warm hat which she shoved over her frizzy, blond hair. She pocketed her phone and her wallet, full of exactly five dollars, and left her room. She knocked on the door of the study.

"Mum, I am going out. I will be back soon, love you." She called.

"Okay, good job honey," Athena yelled back, obviously distracted. Annabeth sighed and left the apartment, locking the door behind her because when Athena got her head into her work nothing would distract her, not even a full on burglary.

When Annabeth left the building she looked left and right. She didn't frequent this area of the city very often and didn't really know where she was heading. Maybe she would try to find a small park. Annabeth noticed two people walking from her left clutching Starbucks cups. A chai tea latte sounded great. Left it is.

Annabeth walked two blocks until she reached the Starbucks. She entered the shop and the familiar smell of coffee and the chatter of people met her ears. Annabeth almost expected Percy to be grinning at her from behind the counter.

Annabeth got into the short line and looked around. There were several advertisements for a pumpkin spice chai latte. Something to get her in the fall mood. Annabeth got to the counter and told the girl her order. The girl behind the counter had thirty six and a half more years to live and several piercings on her face, including one on her lip. God, what would Percy look like with a lip ring? Annabeth wondered. What would it be like to kiss someone with a lip ring? Annabeth thought that this was maybe not the best time to be thinking that since one such person was still holding out her hand to give Annabeth her change.

Annabeth accepted her change, making sure her long sleeves were covering her timer now that she wasn't near Percy. She moved to the side to wait for her latte. When she got it she sampled it. A little sweet. She'd have to ask Percy to make her one when she got back. He'd make it correctly. She mixed cinnamon into it to give it more of a kick. Annabeth loved cinnamon.

Drink in hand, Annabeth left the Starbucks. She was still in search of a park. She pulled up a map on her phone and found that she was not too far away from central park. Annabeth guessed nowhere in Manhattan was too far from central park.

Annabeth walked along the street, looking up and marveling at the tall buildings. Back when she used to live in San Francisco she had always dreamed of the New York skyscrapers. She liked their history and their art deco style. She had always thought they would make her feel powerful. Grounded. Instead they just made her feel small. They Just reminded her of how much she hated visiting her mum. They reminded her just how big the distance was between her and home.

Annabeth arrived at Central Park around the time she finished her chai tea. She threw the cup away (taking a moment to remember how she and Percy first met) and sat down on a bench. Her jacket was keeping her warm, so she was able to take in the scenery. The trees had already mostly shed their leaves and they littered the ground, brown and crisp. There were not very many people hanging around. Probably because it was freezing and overcast, the sky threatening to release a downpour upon the city. Annabeth reckoned she should probably start walking home before she got caught in the rain.

Annabeth took a picture of Central Park and sent it to Piper.

A- I miss you! The weather here is even worse than the weather at home.

Then Annabeth took a picture of herself bundled in her jacket with the park behind her and sent it to Percy.

A- I miss you! I visited Starbucks. Can you make a ps chai latte? I hope you are having more fun than I am.

Neither Percy nor Piper responded right away, so Annabeth stood up and started walking back. Maybe she would get another chai tea.

;;;

Annabeth closed the door of the apartment behind her and took off her now soaked jacket. It had started raining about five minutes away from the apartment and so she had sprinted back, but to no avail- she still dripped up the stairs.

Annabeth moved past her mum's room (who was still on the phone with a client) to her own temporary one. She hadn't looked around when she first came in, but now she took the time to do so.

Her room was a decent size with one window facing the New York Skyline (this had always been her favorite part of her room). The walls were mostly bare, save a picture or two of her friends and one Harry Potter poster above her bed. She had a mostly empty bookcase (she took most of her books to college) and a mostly empty closet (same with her clothes). Her bed was just as soft as she remembered and covered with lavender covers. They smelled like dust when she sat on them. Her mother probably hadn't bothered to come in since Annabeth had left last Christmas.

Annabeth sighed. Compared to her dorm room, covered in posters and books and small statues, this room was sad and barren. It lacked personality. When Annabeth had lived here for two years after boarding school she had never tried to make it feel like home. It was always just a way station, somewhere to stop and rest before she moved on.

Sometimes Annabeth thought her mum knew that. That's why she had never tried to get Annabeth to stay until her life ran out, because she knew that Annabeth couldn't be happy here.

Annabeth decided not to unpack- she would only be staying for a few days anyway, why go through the trouble of unpacking and repacking? Instead, she pulled off her wet hat and her jeans and shirt and changed into leggings and a huge sweater that enveloped her hands. Then she went to the kitchen to make some tea.

Tea in hand, Annabeth pulled out her laptop. She pulled up Netflix and bundled up to watch an episode of Stranger Things (subtitles turned on. She couldn't concentrate on the show without them). Her eyes strayed to her phone to check for texts every once in a while before she paused her show and sent Percy a snap of her tea.

A- Just drinking tea and watching Stranger Things. Living the life.

This is sad, Annabeth thought. I am literally seeking out his attention. Disgusting. These thoughts didn't stop her from launching herself at her phone when the screen lit up, a snap from Percy begging for her attention.

Annabeth opened it. It was a picture of Percy at the beach, visiting his dad, with a pina colada in hand and a pair of dorky sunglasses over his eyes.

P- Livin the life

Annabeth groaned and put her arm over her eyes. She leaned back against the wall and inhaled deeply. I am so fucked, she thought, smiling and responding to his text.

;;;

"So Annabeth," Her mum said, sitting down at the table. "How's your timer?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes. No 'how are you' or 'how have your classes'. It was always about her timer. Annabeth's mother hadn't wanted a baby with such a short life until Annabeth was fifteen and she found out she could use it to her advantage. Even so, she still believed that Annabeth's timer would magically change some day (Annabeth wasn't about to tell her that it had).

"It's fine." She responded instead.

"No changes?"

"Nope, not one."

"Hmmm. Okay." Athena put her napkin on her lap like they were having a nice meal and not just boxed mac n cheese that Annabeth had cooked up not five minutes ago. Annabeth didn't even know why they were eating at the table. That's always how it as with Athena, like they were dining on fricking Mt. Olympus or something.

"And school?"

"I have good grades and my teachers like me." Annabeth answered.

"Okay, good." Athena smiled slightly at her daughter. Annabeth always thought it funny how little they looked alike, Athena had dark brown waves and a strong facial structure, Annabeth had frizzy blonde curls and a round face with cheekbones buried in cheek. But when Athena smiled, even slightly, Annabeth could see the resemblance. And they shared the same steely grey eyes.

Athena got up from the table and put her bowl into the dishwasher before telling Annabeth that she had more work to do. Annabeth nodded at the closed door and finished her mac n cheese.

;;;

Later that night as Annabeth laid in bed looking at the city lights reflected in her rain streaked window she made a decision. She had been wondering what to do for the whole day and as much as it pained her, she couldn't not go.

Tomorrow she would see Thalia.

 **A/N: Okay, this is like, part one of a two part Thanksgiving chapter. I will try to have the second part (with Thalia and Leo) up by the end of the week. Thank y'all for staying through my absence! I am going to try not to do that again, but life is hard and so is writing, so I cannot make any promises. Give me some ideas of stuff you want me to do, even if it is a conversation you would like or a detail you want a character to have and I will try to incorporate it. Please fave, follow and review (seriously, review. It means so much to me.)!**

 **-Skulls-surround-suns**


	17. Chapter 17- Thanksgiving 2

**A/N: Hey everyone! I know I promised it would be done at the beginning of this week, but it was just being finely polished for y'all and that is why it is a bit late. A ginormous thank you to my beta, Sunday Storm, for going through this and catching my mistakes (there are a lot of them). They are super awesome and amazing and I could not be more grateful to them. Also, raelauren, a while ago you said you wanted no more Rachel drama and well, I tried to grant your wish to the best of my abilities. And to that random Guest, no, I was not referencing Nickelback. I have never listened to them. Sorry. Anyway, I hope all of you like this!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Annabeth tapped her foot against the linoleum floor of the hospital. She hadn't been here in...how long? A year? Two? But it still felt like yesterday that she had been nervously pacing this same floor, waiting, waiting for…

"Annabeth?"

Annabeth looked up. An unfamiliar nurse stood in the door of the waiting room.

"Her check up is done, you can go right on in." The nurse pointed at a closed door and Annabeth nodded. She didn't need a nurse to tell her where to go, the location was still branded on the back of her skull.

Annabeth walked past the nurse, thanking them, before entering Thalia's room.

Immediately Annabeth was assaulted by memories. Flashes of her friend drenched in blood, an IV dripping meds into her system, her heartbeat slowing, slowing until Annabeth was forced out of the room.

In reality, the room was empty except for a single bed in the center, surrounded by machines, and a small table and chair for guests. The room was just as it was the last time Annabeth was here. Like a sterile jail cell, void of windows, a TV, and smelling like antiseptic. Though one didn't need much when they were in a coma.

Annabeth drew the single chair next to the bed and peered at the figure lying under the covers.

Thalia was barely recognisable. Her hair was blonde, her original colour all grown out, now only the ends were dyed black. Her cheeks and eye sockets were hollow and her skin ashen, like all of the life had been drained out of her (Annabeth supposed it had). Someone had taken all of her piercings out years ago, when she was first brought in five, almost six years ago.

The only reason she had been allowed to stay for so long was because of her dad and his boat loads of money. He paid for her treatment and he paid for research to find a way to bring her back. There haven't been any breakthroughs though.

Annabeth had been nineteen, just starting college after taking a gap year to travel with Thalia and Luke. Thalia didn't want her to go, she wanted Annabeth to stay and protest with her. "What's the point," She used to say. "Why waste your smarts in college when you could be using them in the real world, using your brain for what matters." They had a huge fight before Thalia had tried to cut out her timer. Annabeth still didn't like to think about it…

Thalia hadn't been all bad. She had been a mentor for Annabeth and helped her get out of her slum in high school. Thalia had been so cool. She didn't care what anyone thought about her, she just wanted to make a difference and stand for what she thought was right. She had given Annabeth's life purpose again. But then she went and fucked everything up.

Annabeth took a deep breath. Now wasn't the time to be thinking such things. Annabeth didn't come here to be angry or to mope. She just came to...tell Thalia about her life. Annabeth had read somewhere that people in comas could hear everything people say to them. Annabeth hoped that was the case. She had a lot to say.

"Hey Thalia," she started. Annabeth looked to make sure the door was closed. It was. "It's been a while." She continued.

Annabeth grabbed Thalia's hand, which was hanging off of the hospital bed. It was cold and small.

"A lot has been going on recently. I think I met someone. Someone besides Luke. He's...he's really nice. I think you'd like him…."

Annabeth went on to explain what had been going on in her life. She talked about Percy and about Luke (she wasn't able to breach that topic without her voice cracking). She talked about Beckendorf's death and about Silena and Hazel and Leo.

"I've met a lot of really cool people," She said. "But, uh, that's not really why I wanted to talk to you. Something...happened."

Annabeth took a deep breath and nervously moved her sleeve over her timer. She hoped nobody was listening to her. She didn't know what would happen if the hospital found out that she had a malfunctioning timer. She didn't want to know.

Annabeth cleared her throat and began to speak quietly.

"My timer has been acting up," She said, leaning into Thalia like she could actually listen. "Ever since I met Percy, whenever I am with him my life is extended. I don't know what it means, but I haven't told anyone. Well, except for Piper, but she's _Piper_ so she'll find out either way.

"But recently I have noticed that even when I am not with Percy, as long as I have hung out with him a lot recently, my timer stays like it is when I am with him. I asked Nico about it once, but he had never heard of that, and I didn't want to dig too deep because I don't want him to be suspicious.

"Anyway, I- I wish you were here. You'd know what to do. You always knew so much about this stuff. You always knew what to do. I just...I just miss you. I miss you so much. I wish you were here and that you didn't go and- I wish you could help me. With everything. I-"

The door opened and a different nurse from before peeked in.

"Ma'am, visiting time is over in five minutes, so I suggest you say your goodbyes." They said. Annabeth nodded, too tired to argue and not enough of an asshole to make the exhausted nurse deal with her.

"Okay Thalia," She said once the door had closed. "I guess this is goodbye. I'll come visit...I don't know. Next time I'm in New York? I'll try to visit."

Annabeth stood up and made her way to the door. She leaned against the doorframe and looked around the room. Everything was exactly the same as it had been when she had first entered. Annabeth sighed and left.

;;;

"Hey, I'm going out, do you mind making yourself dinner?" Annabeth's mum poked her head through Annabeth's door.

"No, it's fine, go ahead." Annabeth called from her bed. Her mum turned to leave, but hesitated.

"Are you sure? I feel like I'm being too...I don't know, _absent_. You're sure it's fine?"

"Yeah, mum, it's fine. It's b- it's fine." Annabeth said. _It's better than before. It's better than you going mad over my timer. I would take absent over depressed and obsessive any day._ Annabeth sighed when her mum still didn't move from the door. "It's _fine._ I swear. I'll just make myself a pizza or something."

Athena nodded and slapped the door frame lightly.

"Okay, then. I'm off. I'll be home at around 12. Maybe 1? I want you to be in bed by then, you have an early flight back."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Okay, just go! Have fun." She said, waving her mother off. Athena left and Annabeth sank into her comforter. She looked at the clock. 18:27. Too early to sleep.

 _Netflix it is._

Annabeth wrapped her blanket around herself and started a show.

;;;

 **Percy- Look at this turtle**

 **Percy- I saw this bookstore and was reminded of u ;)**

 **Percy- I wish you were here!**

;;;

Annabeth woke up at around 5.30 in the morning- three hours before her flight. She checked her texts and replied to Percy ( **I wish I was there too. Back to uni :p** ), and then made herself cereal. Her mum was already up, typing away at her computer. Annabeth looked at the date. Thanksgiving. She sighed. Annabeth wondered if there would be any other students staying at the college that she knew (there had to be). She hoped they weren't annoying.

Two hours later, Annabeth was at the airport, unloading her stuff from a taxi.

"Annabeth, I'm sorry about you having to go back so soon."

"It's fine, mum. I don't really care." Annabeth said, taking out the last bag.

"I know you say that, but still. It's Thanksgiving. This was just one of those unavoidable things, y'know?"

"Yeah, I know." Annabeth sighed and help out her arms. "I'll see you for Christmas?"

Athena sighed and hugged Annabeth before pulling away.

"Err, yeah. Christmas."

Annabeth thought it peculiar how uncertain she sounded. Of course Annabeth was going for Christmas, where else would she go?

"Take care, love. Have a happy Thanksgiving." Athena looked sad, like she would miss Annabeth a lot. _Like me being here is any different from being there for how often I see her._

"Yeah, you too. Love you." Annabeth said at last, taking her bags with her into the airport. She turned around, but her mum had already gotten into the cab and sped away.

;;;

Annabeth threw herself on her bed melodramatically and buried herself in her covers when she got back. Fortunately, she had the room to herself (she didn't feel like crying when Silena was there), but it would suck that she would spend Thanksgiving alone. And Annabeth missed Silena. They had only spent time together in passing recently, and a coffee or lunch was long overdue.

Annabeth snuggled further under the covers and checked her phone. No texts, not snapchat notifications, but one email. She happily clicked on it, hoping it was something from a friend or maybe a new follower on tumblr.

 **: Earn $5 in one click. Just join** … Annabeth deleted the email and shoved the phone back under herself irritably. Maybe she would just take a nap….

Someone knocked loudly on her door. _Or maybe not._

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming." Annabeth muttered as the knocking continued. She rolled out of bed and then walked the few feet to the front door, not caring how she looked. It was probably just the RA.

"Yeah, what do you-" Annabeth stopped when she saw who it was. "Leo! What are you doing here?"

"Um, I'm looking for Silena…" He said, his neck extended to look over Annabeth's shoulder and into the room.

"Yeah? Well, Selena's not here right now. She went home." Annabeth said. Leo looked back at her. For once he wasn't wearing a big grin.

"Oh. Okay. I'll just...go, then." He said, turning away. Annabeth grabbed his shoulder to stop him.

"Leo, wait." She said. Leo stopped and turned around, wide eyed. "Err, can you come in?" Annabeth asked. He nodded slowly, his eyes darting to the hallway as if planning to make his escape. Annabeth tightened her grip on his shoulder before letting go.

Annabeth followed Leo inside her room. She cleared some books off of her chair and sat in the chair opposite of his- Silena's. Leo squirmed uncomfortably (he was always squirming, just not with such nervous energy). Annabeth guessed this was the first time he had been nervous instead of excited when a girl had asked him into her room. Maybe the first time a girl had even asked him into her room.

"Leo, calm down. I'm not going to eat you." Annabeth said. Leo stopped squirming, but looked just as much or even more anxious. Annabeth rolled her eyes. "I just want to ask you something."

Leo gulped.

"You've been here an awful lot." She said. Leo, wisely, said nothing. It was a statement, not a question.

"You and Sirena aren't sleeping together, are you?"

Leo squeaked and turned bright red. Annabeth hurried on to her point.

"Because that's okay. I don't control who she sleeps with and what she does her body. But if you think, even for a second, that I will let you get away with cheating on her or even disrespecting her a little bit, I will-"

"Oh my god, Annabeth! No! No no no no no! Silena and I are _not_ having sex!" Leo mimed gagging. "No! God, we're just friends. I wouldn't-. Not after-. Uhg."

Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Wow. Okay. Then what _are_ you doing?" She asked.

"We- I don't know. Talk about "our feelings"? We talk about stuff that is going on. I was never especially close to Silena, but after Beckendorf..we just kinda, y'know, clicked. We could help each other wallow in our misery. It fit."

"Okay. Well, I am glad she had someone like you, then." Annabeth said.

"I can't believe you thought I would be a cheater. Or a bad...whatever you were implying we were." Leo said. He stood up to leave, but Annabeth stopped him once again.

"Sorry, Leo. I didn't, I mean. I just want what's best for Silena."

"No, I get it. But if I were you, I wouldn't worry about other people's relationships. I would worry about your own." He said. His eyes widened when he realized what he had said and he stared at Annabeth in horror.

" _We- I don't know. Talk about "our feelings"? We talk about stuff that is going on."_ Did Silena talk about Annabeth? Did Leo know everything about her? This kid who she barely knew?

"That's none of your business." She snapped.

"Then why is my relationship, or lack of one, any of yours?" Leo yelled back. Annabeth froze. _Shit._

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't even realize. I just meant-" Annabeth started.

Leo let out a defeated sigh and then smiled.

"It's fine. I know what you meant and I just wanted you to know what you did." He said. Annabeth was taken aback by how mature he sounded. He sounded nothing like the guy who shamelessly hit on every girl he saw and called everyone pet names.

"Do you want to go to Thanksgiving dinner with me?" He asked.

"Sure. Sounds great. Do you want to just leave now? It's nearly dinner time." Annabeth said. She grabbed a sweater and pulled it over her t-shirt. The dining hall was not a far enough walk to need a proper jacket.

"Sure, Chica. Let's go." Leo said, and the grin was back. There was the Leo she knew.

;;;

The food at the dining hall was mediocre, but the company was not. Annabeth pushed soggy mashed potatoes and flavorless turkey around her plate while she talked to Leo. She was getting a deeper understanding of this person she had wrongfully labeled a predatory trouble maker. He was much more complicated than that and Annabeth could see why Hazel put up with all of the gross flirting.

"Well, foster home to foster home. None of the families really stuck, so I don't go anywhere for the holidays." Leo explained. "What about you? Why are you here?"

Annabeth sat down her fork, deciding her Thanksgiving dinner was not going to be finished anyway.

"Uh well. My mum had a work thing she had to travel for and so I had to come back early." Annabeth said simply. Leo made a face.

"Dude, harsh. On thanksgiving. _Jeez._ What about a dad? Do you have any other family?" He asked.

"Err, well. I don't exactly have the best relationship with my dad."

"Why not?"

"Let's just say things went sour. Stuff happened and he blamed it on me. What about you? Have you got any family?" Annabeth asked. Leo seemed to understand why she was changing the subject, but seemed kind of sad about it. Maybe family wasn't the best thing to talk about with an orphan.

"Um...no. Not really. The only family I have that I know of is my Aunt Rosa and her kids." He said.

"Why can't you stay with them?" Annabeth asked before she could stop herself from asking stupid questions. There was obviously bad blood there.

"My aunt Rosa thinks I'm el diablo. That's the devil by the way. She blames me for mom's death even though the timer predicted it before and that is when she was supposed to die. Nothing could have changed that. My Aunt Rosa is the one who sent me into the system in the first place." Leo said. He sounded angry instead of sad, like he wanted to punch his aunt instead of cry about his misfortunes. Annabeth could respect that.

"That sucks. I am sorry that happened."

Leo shrugged.

Annabeth picked up her fork once again to try and eat the food on her plate. She touched the gravy and it jiggled like jello. Annabeth shuddered.

"Hey. Annabeth, right?"

A voice came from behind Annabeth, a voice she could almost place and...oh no. Red hair. Freckles. Paint splattered clothes. _It must be a Dare._

Annabeth plastered on a fake smile.

"Yeah. I am. You're Rachel, right?"

"Yeah. I work with Percy, remember. Wow, he talks about you so much it is great to finally meet you in person!"

Those words warmed Annabeth's heart, even though they were coming out of the mouth of Rachel.

"Thanks, you too!" Annabeth said. Meanwhile, Leo was watching the exchange with wide eyes. He seemed to pick up on some of Annabeth's hostility.

"Can I sit here?" Rachel asked, pointing to the chair beside Annabeth. Annabeth nodded, somewhat forcefully. She really did not want Rachel to sit there.

"Cool. Thanks." Rachel sat down and started cutting her turkey into bite sized pieces.

Apparently Leo and Rachel knew each other from a class, because not five minutes later they were deep in conversation about the "art of engineering". Annabeth arranged her mashed potatoes and gelatin gravy to look like a smiley face and then made it frown.

"So, Annabeth. How've your classes been going?" Rachel asked. Annabeth looked up and quickly squashed her mashed potato man with her fork.

"Err, they're fine. My classes are fine." She said, somewhat awkwardly.

"That's great! You're taking architecture, right?"

Annabeth nodded.

"Okay. Awesome. I am doing a report on the Marin Civic Center by Frank Lloyd Wright. Do you know about it? I need some input from a architecture student."

And just like that, Annabeth was on a roll, using hand gestures and completely immersed in her explanation of why the Marin Civic Center was so great... _with Rachel Dare_.

;;;

Later, when the dining hall was fifteen minutes from closing and Leo had already left (g _oodbye chicas, I need to get my beauty sleep_ ) Rachel brought up 'the forbidden subject.

"So...I was just wondering. Are you and Percy, like...:" Rachel made a strange gesture with her hands, her thumb and pointer finger touching. "...Together?"

Annabeth blushed and then scrambled to define their relationship.

"I mean, technically no, but then we "(she made the gesture with her fingers) "and he...and I…"

"It's complicated?" Rachel finished for her. Annabeth sighed.

"Yes," She breathed. "It's complicated." Annabeth let out a breathy laugh.

"Okay. I was just making sure, because I was wondering if I should invest my time in trying to woo him, but wasn't really sure. But, uh, now that I know that you two are… complicated, I'll leave him alone." She said.

Annabeth felt like an anvil had been lifted off of her chest. She hadn't realised how much she was jealous of Rachel for spending time with Percy. It was stupid and terrible and Annabeth wished she didn't feel that way, but it was felt super threatened by Rachel and that was where all of the 'hate' had come from. Annabeth felt like she could breath again, like she was in control of this situation (Annabeth wondered how she would feel when her timer thing was sorted. Either lighter than air or not breathing at all).

"Okay. But you can till, y'know, be his friend. I know he likes spending time with you." Annabeth told Rachel.

"Yeah, I will. He's a great friend too-"

"Five minutes until we close!" One of the staff working in the dining hall yelled, interrupting whatever Rachel was going to say. Both of them looked over and then took their trays to the bin.

"I think we could probably be good friends." Rachel held out her hand. Annabeth took it. It was a dorky gesture, but Annabeth appreciated it.

"Friends." Annabeth confirmed. Rachel grabbed her jacket, smiled at Annabeth and then saluted her before walking out of the dining hall. Annabeth pulled out her phone to check any texts. There was only one, from Percy.

 **Percy- We need to talk.**

 **A/N: Alright! Quite the cliffhanger, right! *Diabolical laughter* Well, this next chapter might take me a while to write, but I will try to get it done by Halloween or before then. As Raelauren hopefully knows by now, your reviews mean a lot to me and I really do try to do what you ask. Even f you want a character to have a certain trait to make them more relatable to you, just let me know and I will try to make that happen. Anyway, please follow, favorite and review! See ya next time! *Mwahahaha***

 **-skulls-surround-suns**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Heyo! It's me again. Happy Thanksgiving! Okay, okay- I think some apologies are due. I am sorry I did not update at Halloween, I was just not really able to write. I was really busy and the election had me kinda mentally incapacitated (it's some scary shit, man). Anyway, I am here now. This is a bit of a short chapter, but a lot happens so maybe it will be okay? demiwizard dragon girl, I guess you'll just have to see if they "b-b-break u-u-up ". puttyesh, I'll try to make the hotsauce thing happen in later chapters, but I don't want Percy to be fired. Okay, I hope everyone likes this and it is everyone hoped for after the last cliffhanger!**

 **Once again, thank you to my wonderful beta sunshine storm. They are super sweet and helpful and probably the most illustrious creature on this planet.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

"Hey Annabeth! Did you finish the- woah. Are you okay?"

Hazel angled herself in her seat to face Annabeth. Her eyebrows pinched together in concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just… stressed." Annabeth said, rubbing her eyes. She had barely slept on the last two days of the break and had large dark circles under her eyes. Her hair was probably a gross mess too, she hadn't cared enough to brush it, let alone make it look nice.

"Ooh, yeah. Junior year, right? I heard it was a toughy." Hazel said. "Hang in there, it'll be fine."

Annabeth nodded in affirmation.

"So, did you finish the Lincoln analysis yet? I am trying to figure out one part, but the wording is just kind of screwing everything up…."

Annabeth zoned out while Hazel explained her problem with the assignment until gold eyes met grey ones and Annabeth was pulled out of it by Hazel's expectant expression.

"Annabeth?"

"What? Oh, oh, yeah. Lincoln analysis. For that I just said, um, it seemed to be talking about the will of God and what is right and wrong. I mean, I said more, but that's all I remember right now."

"Okay… Annabeth, are you sure you are okay? Usually you would give me a long explanation with quotes and-"

"Hazel, really, I'm fine." Annabeth sighed. She looked down at her laptop screen. The words of her own Lincoln analysis swam in her vision, blurring together and switching around, making it look like the refrigerator poetry magnets that she had as a kid, each with one word on them, clumped together on the white surface. Annabeth sighed and closed the laptop.

"Where's Percy?" Hazel asked, looking around. Annabeth stiffened slightly. That was the whole thing that was stressing her out.

"He, uh, he said that he would get back a day late. Something about his dad or something." She answered.

"Oh. His dad, huh. I hope it goes well. His father can be kinda...difficult."

Annabeth was too tired to ponder what that meant. She would just store it for later, when she had a tighter grip on reality.

"Have you talked to him recently?" Hazel asked. "I haven't since the beginning of the break."

Annabeth nodded absently.

"A bit."

After Percy's terrifying text he followed it up with another one.

P- Dont worry, it is not bad, i dont think

If it wasn't bad then why did he precede it with "We need to talk", the most horrifying text known to mankind?

P- I just think we need to dtr

Annabeth was embarrassed now that she had to look up what that meant. Dtr- define the relationship. _Define the relationship? What on Earth did that mean?_

Annabeth hadn't been able to sleep, she had been so worried. Not worried about what Percy would say- she knew that already (more or less). He was more worried about what she would have to _do._ She knew her feelings for Percy were...strong, and that her relationship with Luke was hitting a rough patch, but she didn't know how to continue on. That scared the living daylights out of her. Annabeth hated not knowing what to do. It made her feel unprepared, unorganized, even weak. It made her feel _vulnerable. But that's what a relationship takes, isn't it? You are supposed to be able to feel vulnerable with your partner._

Annabeth was just worried she wouldn't be able to do that.

"Annabeth? Annabeth? Helloo?" Hazel waved a hand in front of Annabeth's face.

"Oh, sorry, must've zoned out." Annabeth said. Hazel narrowed her eyes.

"Okay, that's it. You are going home and you are going to sleep. Get rest, make tea. Jus _t go."_

Annabeth shook her head wearily.

"No, I can't-" She yawned. "I can't afford to take a day off. What if I miss something, What if I-"

"I'll record the lecture for you. And you know everything else is online. And honestly, Annabeth, what do you have? 103%? You can afford a day off."

Annabeth began to protest, but Hazel raised her eyebrow and crossed her arms, giving Annabeth her best "you know I'm right" look. Annabeth sighed.

"Fine. Maybe just for-" Yawn. "-English." She said, already packing up her bag. Hazel nodded and smiled smugly. Annabeth swung her bag onto her shoulder.

"And I have a 99.5%, mind you. It isn't possible to get extra credit without an extra credit opportunity." She grumbled. Hazel just laughed.

" _Go!_ " She said, laughing pointing at the door. Annabeth followed her orders and left as Mrs. Cavan began announcing the agenda for the day.

;;;

"Jeez, Annabeth, I think I felt the whole building shake." Silena said, referring to the force Annabeth used to slam the door to their dorm shut.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't think you would be in here." Annabeth said rubbing her eyes and heading to her bed.

"In here or not, I think the whole building felt that." Silena laughed before looking up from her phone. "Woah, are you okay?"

Annabeth laid back on her bed and looked at the ceiling.

"I completely forgot we put those glow in the dark stars up there." She said.

"Annabeth…" Silena stood up and walked over to Annabeth's bed before sitting down. "You know you can talk to me. Just because...I've been through stuff recently and I've been a little absorbed in my own world doesn't mean your problems are any less relevant. I want to know what's going on."

Annabeth looked at Silena's face. Her eyebrows were pinched together in the middle, wrinkling her forehead. She looked so sincere that Annabeth almost thought of telling her. She wanted so badly to tell someone else about her problems, especially Silena. She seemed to be especially good at relationship stuff, and at least she could help out with the Percy thing.

 _Silena's been through a lot. She says that she wants to be there for me, but I don't want to put any more weight on her shoulders. She has enough problems of her own, I don't need to add mine to the mix._

"I'm fine," Annabeth said, pulling a pillow over her face so that she wouldn't have to see Silena's disappointed look. "I'm just tired. And not feeling well. I better sleep."

There was a pause before Annabeth felt the weight come off of her bed. She breathed a sigh of… she couldn't tell if it was disappointment or relief. She began to turn towards the wall before her pillow was ripped from her hands.

"Annabeth- I don't remember your middle name- Chase, you will tell me what your problem is or I swear to God-" Silena said, hitting Annabeth with her pillow in between every word.

"Okay, okay!" Annabeth said holding her hands up in defense. She was laughing, either from the ridiculousness of the situation or from the shock of a pillow to the face.

Silena stopped, but kept the pillow raised.

"I'll tell you, just…" Annabeth clasped her hands together. "Mercy?"

Silena's eyes shone with mirth before she tentatively set the pillow down. She sat at her previous spot on Annabeth's bed.

"Okay. Spill." She said. Annabeth hugged her knees up to her chest.

 _Am I going to give her the full version, timer problems and all?_ Annabeth looked over at Silena's side of the room. A picture of Beckendorf sat on the desk, angled at the bed. Annabeth couldn't see it from this angle, but she knew that in the picture Silena's arms were around his neck and her lips pressed against his cheek. Annabeth knew you could see how much he cared for Silena in just that picture. _Silena doesn't need that,_ Annabeth decided.

"Just...I got this weird text from Percy." Annabeth said.

"Ooh. What is it?" Silena asked.

All it said was 'we need to talk'"- Silena gasped, but Annabeth continued. "I asked him about it and he said he didn't think it would be bad, but…"

"But what kind of text is that. That's like...universal fight starting text." Silena finished for her. Annabeth nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. I mean, there is some stuff and Luke and what not, but-"

"Wait, wait, wait." Silena said, holding her hand up. "You're _still_ with Luke?" She asked incredulously.

"Well, yeah." Annabeth said.

"Oh, honey." Silena crooned. "Why? You have that gorgeous piece of ass just begging to be your boyfriend and you rather be with some facist...ass?"

"I..well...er…" Annabeth struggled to find an explanation. "Well, I don't know if he wants to be my...boyfriend." She finally mumbled.

"Didn't you two kiss under the starlight in the mountains?" Silena pointed out.

"That proved nothing!" Annabeth squawked. Silena laughed.

"Are you going to break up with Luke anytime soon? I know you really like Percy, just from the amount of time you spend talking about him, and from the sound of it, he likes you too."

"I- I am. It's hard though. It's so...uncertain."

"Sometimes you just gotta follow your instincts. And mine are telling me that Percy really likes you, but doesn't want to get hurt. I think he is waiting from a sign of devotion and you should start with breaking up with Luke."

Annabeth sighed.

"I know I should." Annabeth felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up to find Silena giving her a gentle expression.

"It's okay. Sometimes things just tend to work out." She said. Annabeth thought of the picture of Beckendorf. _Silena must have the other times, when things don't work out,_ she thought sadly.

"Thanks. That helped a lot." Annabeth said. She gave Silena a hug. "But seriously, I am exhausted. I haven't slept a full night in a full week."

Silena pat Annabeth's shoulder and stood up.

"I'd better be getting to my class anyway. I can bring you some tea later. Chai?"

"Actually, I'm in the mood for green."

Silena nodded. She looked up at the ceiling, smiling slightly.

"I forgot about those too. Hello, stars. Bye Annabeth. Don't leave this room. Just get plenty of sleep."

"Alright. Tell the sun hello for me. I won't be seeing it for a while. Bye."

"Bye." Silena said before closing the door.

Annabeth moved the pillow over her face, but then removed it and turned to look at the ceiling. The stars glowed faintly.

A- I'll meet you at 12 for lunch tomorrow, Percy? Then we can dtr

Annabeth hit send. She closed her phone and then opened it one second later.

A- Luke, do you want to meet for dinner tomorrow? I think we should talk

;;;

Annabeth shoved her hands into her jean pockets. It was starting to get really cold, typical late November weather. Annabeth suspected that it could snow any day.

Her breath came out in puffs of mist. Annabeth tried to make mist rings, but was unsuccessful and felt rather ridiculous. She rubbed her nose to return feeling to it and checked her watch.

12:17

Percy was pretty late. They _had_ promised to meet at this park, hadn't they? _Or maybe it had been another park. Maybe she accidently said one when she meant twelve. Maybe-_

"Annabeth!"

Annabeth looked up as she heard Percy call her name. He jogged towards her, cheeks pink and black hair ruffled. Annabeth noticed that he was dressed much more appropriately than her, in a large winter parka and a beanie. Annabeth shivered.

"Hi!" Annabeth said, opening her arms in a hug. "Long time no see!"

Percy stiffened and then relaxed as he let Annabeth envelope him in hug. _He's really warm,_ Annabeth noted. She wished she could have stayed in his arms f-

"Yeah, yeah. It's been so long." Percy said with a strained grin. "Whatcha been up to?" He asked.

"Oh, nothing much. Just had Thanksgiving with Leo and Rachel." She said.

"Leo and...Red?" Percy raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, err, Red." Annabeth tried to squash down the jealous thoughts that came up when she heard Percy's nickname for Rachel. _I have no reason to be jealous, Rachel is a perfectly nice girl._

"And what about you? How was your break?" Annabeth asked.

"Well, y'know. I was with my dad, and well, you know how that is. The surfing in Florida is great though." Percy said.

Annabeth frowned. She had no idea what he meant by that comment about his dad. _Do I really know him so little?_ Annabeth felt a little disturbed by that thought.

"That's...good." Annabeth wrung out her hands. "So...you wanted to talk." She said tentatively. Annabeth never was one to dance around the subject (okay, she was, but this had been making her anxious for days).

"Yeah," Percy sighed. "Talk." He said talk like it was physically painful to him.

"Well, here I am. Say what you need to." Annabeth said, spreading her arms with false confidence.

"Annabeth...I really like you. Romantically."

Annabeth smiled slightly. _This isn't as bad as I-_

"But I can't do this anymore."

And that was when Annabeth's world started to spin. _This? What is his? The kisses? The romance? Or does he just not want to be with me at all, not even as friends?_

"This?" She asked weakly.

"Yeah-" Percy gestured wildly between them. "This. I think you're really great. You're smart, you're nice, you're beautiful. Every time I'm around you it's like...it's like the world has suddenly become warmer, brighter. You literally light up my world. But I can't keep going on knowing that you're lighting up someone else's too. And I know that thing with Luke is complicated, but I can't keep- what do you call it? Pretending. I can't keep "pretending". I can't keep doing the kissing and the looks and the not-dates. I can't do that to myself, and I know I don't like him, hell, _you_ know I don't like him, but I can't do this to Luke. I just- I can't."

During his speech Percy had taken his beanie off and had woven his hand into his hair and was pulling at the nape of his neck. Annabeth tried to reach and pull his hand away, but he flinched away.

"I-I can't." He said, his voice breaking. Annabeth could feel herself start to tear up. _God, I'm such a terrible person. I should have realized. I should have known this wouldn't end well._

"A-Annabeth, please say something." Percy all but whispered. Annabeth wanted to lean forward and clasp his hands in hers. She wanted to tell him all of the things she loved about him. She wanted to give him the world, but she restrained herself. She knew her actions would not be appreciated. Annabeth, more than anyone, knew what it looked like when someone was trying to keep their emotions in check and she didn't want to put anymore pressure on him then there already was.

Annabeth took a deep breath.

"Percy, I _really_ like you too. So much. I like your smile and your stupid, crinkly eyes and your dumb, messy hair. I like how you can make anyone smile and laugh, even on their worst days. I don't want to 'pretend'. I want to be with you, for real. But like you said, it's complicated. I am going to break up with Luke, really, I will. But, I get if you don't want to wait. I get if you just want me out of your life. I am so sorry. I really didn't mean to hurt you or anyone, I just- my life has been really complicated lately and, oh fuck. I'm crying," Annabeth laughed nervously and wiped away her tears. "Jesus, I'm so sorry."

Percy worried at the hem of his jacket and then looked up, crossing his arms in front of his chest protectively.

"I- I understand if you want to leave. I know I've been terrible and I deserve it. I just-" Annabeth hiccuped. "I just want you to be happy."

Percy looked at the ground and then looked back up at her. He bit his lip and ran a hand through his hair again, before scratching at his face with his hand. _Nervous tick,_ Annabeth recalled.

"You're right." Percy said. Annabeth's eyes widened. She tried to hold back a sob. "I can't be happy doing...whatever we're doing. Just...call me when you're done pretending." Percy turned, putting his beanie back on and walked away, but Annabeth didn't miss the way he wiped his eyes. She didn't try to call after him. She understood. Their conversation was over.

Annabeth stood in the park, alone and shivering, not bothering to wipe away the tracks the tears had left on her face. _So that's it,_ she thought, not even noticing her timer, which was slowly ticking down to her twenty third birthday.

 **A/N: And that's a wrap. If anyone has any questions or wants to see anything in the story (small details, character traits, etc. I already have a plotline, so I won't alter the story a whole lot, but small details are fun) please pm me or leave a comment. Also, if anyone wants to draw fanart *wink wink* *poke poke* then my tumblr is just skulls-surround-suns and you can tag me or submit them which would be really cool and I would be forever grateful. Please like, follow or comment!**

 **-skulls-surround-suns**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N:** _ **Wow, omg, Skulls is updating twice in one week!**_ **Don't get used to it. I had time off for Thanksgiving break, and I was sick enough to be in bed, but not sick enough that I couldn't think so...writing ensued. At Dobby99, I hope you like this bit with Silena! ;)**

 **This is gonna be a really big chapter! Partial credit to hrypuru for giving me the idea that led to a large part of this chapter.**

 **Thank you to my sweet, sweet beta Sunday Storm! They are amazing and I love them and owe them a forever debt.**

 **If you recognise it, it ain't mine.**

"Silena, I'm- oh. She's not here." Annabeth dropped her stuff on the floor next to her desk and plopped down on her bed. She pulled out her phone and went to her contacts.

 **A- Hey pipes**

 **Piper- Hey**

 **P-have you had your talk with percy yet**

 **A- yep**

 **P- well how did it go**

 **A- shit**

 **P- aw man**

 **P- you want to talk**

 **A- maybe give be a day or 2. I need to really absorb it**

 **A- it doesnt feel real**

 **P- kk, ill let you be then. Bye**

 **A- bye**

Annabeth sighed and put her phone under her pillow. She looked at her watch. It was only seven thirty, but Annabeth already felt exhausted. Maybe she would turn in early, she didn't have much homework anyway.

Annabeth rolled under her covers, not bothering to change. She turned her lamp off and looked at the ceiling. The plastic stars glowed faintly. Annabeth sighed.

She felt nervous about tomorrow. She knew she had to break up with Luke, she knew their relationship was toxic and that she would be happier when it was over, but she couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible would happen tomorrow, when the only thing going on was their dinner and a few classes. Maybe it was just nerves? Annabeth had never really _not_ been with Luke, at least during her adult life. She knew that as soon as she ended the relationship she would be completely severing ties with Luke. There would be no 'we can still be friends'; that wasn't Luke's style. Annabeth was afraid of the change that would take place in her life, but she knew it was a change that had to happen.

Annabeth brought her wrist up to her face and stared sadly at her timer. It had reverted back, as it usually does after she is not with Percy, probably about an hour and a half after as she had timed it last. Annabeth hoped that her fight with Percy didn't impact it in any way. She felt terrible, like she was using him. She wasn't, even though it had started that way, she really did like him. She paled as to think what would happen if Percy found out.

Annabeth shook the thought out of her head and put her arms back under the covers and out of sight. She wouldn't think of that now. One problem at a time. First- break up with Luke. She could focus on that for now; anything else would be a distraction.

Finally, after over an hour of restlessness, Annabeth fell into an uneasy sleep.

;;;

Annabeth wakes up to knocking. She pushes the covers off sleepily and barely registers that Silena isn't in her bed. _She must have gone to Beckendorf and left her key._ Annabeth stumbles to the door, bringing her blankets with her. _Wait...Beckendorf's dead…_ Annabeth remembers as she opens the door.

"Hello. Are you Silena Beauregard's roommate?"

Annabeth blinks blearily at what appears to be two cops at her door.

"I-er...what?"

"Are you-" The taller cop looks at his clipboard. "-Annabeth Chase?"

"I- yeah. Hey, is this- where's Silena?! Did something happen to Silena?!" Annabeth says, suddenly wide awake.

"Early this morning, around two thirty, Silena was walking home from a friend's house and was hit by a drunk driver. Would you mind if we…."

Annabeth didn't hear anymore after that. Everything added to the background, the cop's words replaying in her head over and over and over again. ' _Early this morning, around two thirty, Silena was walking home from a friend's house and was hit by a drunk driver. Was walking home from a friend's house and was hit by a drunk driver. Was hit by a drunk driver. '_ Annabeth walked backwards into her dorm and sank to the bed. _How could this have happened? How could this have-_

One of the cops, the shorter one, was shaking Annabeth's shoulder.

"Ma'am? Ma'am." She said. "Ma'am, are you alright."

Annabeth shook her head.

"You- you did know this was going to happen, right? I mean, her timer-" The cop said again.

Annabeth thought back to all of the times she and Silena had ever talked about timers. It had always been about Annabeth, never about Silena. If Annabeth had known- _If I had known-_ She recalled the pink piece of tape that Silena had kept over her wrist. All of the constantly noisy bangles. Annabeth had never paid much attention to it. _I've always been so self absorbed, to selfish to notice that Silena's-_

Annabeth shook her head and started crying. The officer rubbed her back in awkward comfort, like she didn't know what to do. The other officer cleared his throat.

"Ma'am, would you mind sorting through her stuff before it goes into storage? We need to clear the dorm out and her father is not able to travel here for another few days. Y'know, holidays and such."

The cop rubbing Annabeth's back stood up.

"Could you have it sorted soon," she said. "We're sending people over tomorrow morning to collect her things." She said. Annabeth nodded in confirmation that she had heard.

"Alright, well, we'll leave you to do that." The tall cop said. "Have a nice day, ma'am." The short cop sent Annabeth one more concerned look before both of them left and shut the door, leaving Annabeth alone.

;;;

Annabeth called Leo.

Leo seemed to be really close to Silena, so it seemed only right that he would help her. Maybe they could help each other sort through the stuff and their feelings. _God,_ Annabeth needed someone. Someone who was going through the same thing she was.

"Hello?" A tired and not very Leo sounding voice said.

"Leo?"

"Who is- nevermind. I am kinda-"

"Leo it's me. It's Annabeth. I was wondering if you wanted to help me sort through Silena's things?"

Annabeth heard Leo sob away from the phone.

"Sure, I'll be right over." He said, Annabeth assumed after he put the phone back to his ear.

Annabeth hung up and looked at Silena's side of the room. It looked like she was just going to come right back. But if Annabeth looked closer, paid closer attention, she could tell that some aspects were a bit different. For one, there was not one plastic bottle or dirty coffee cup. Usually both Silena and Annabeth leaved them everywhere until they stacked up and they had to collect all of them and throw them away. But there was not remnants of Silena's past drinks.

Second, there was no paperwork. Silena was usually pretty orderly, but always had some sort of unfinished homework, or homework that was due, sitting out on her desk so she wouldn't forget it. Annabeth knew Silena had homework, she had complained about it just two nights before. Silena must've known... _Of course she knew, she has her timer for god's sake._

Annabeth should have know. _I should have seen the signs or asked, during the whole of our friendship, about her timer. I am such a bad friend._

Annabeth's thought's were interrupted by a knock at her door. _It must be Leo._ Annabeth opened the door to find the most not-Leo looking Leo ever.

"Hey, come on in." She said. He followed her in and sat on Silena's bed. His hair was pulled out at the side, like he had been clutching the sides of his hair, and his eyes were sunken and red from crying. Leo wasn't moving, not even fidgeting, and his ever present shit eating grin was nowhere to be found.

"So, should we just…"

"Yeah, let's get started." Leo finished for her.

They worked silently, side by side, packing things into boxes. Annabeth thought that maybe if she had someone there that maybe she would want to talk, but she wanted to do the opposite. She wanted to pack herself away into one of the boxes and sleep for several years. _Or several months in my case._

They sorted things by type. Annabeth had a box for things of hers that Silena borrowed (and for some pictures and small items that Annabeth couldn't let go of). They got through her bed and quickly, packing away the pillows and comforter easily. When Annabeth saw the picture of Beckendorf under Silena's pillow, she started crying again.

"You take the closet and I'll take the desk?" Annabeth suggested. She waited for confirmation, and at Leo's nod she moved on to the desk.

She started at the bottom and worked her way to the top. At the bottom was a drawer full of her textbooks. Annabeth put those into the **Sell?** box. Someone else could probably use them, and they didn't have any significance to Silena. The next few drawers were full of unfilled journals and old schoolwork.

Finally, Annabeth got to the last two top drawers. The first one was filled with pictures. Pictures of Leo, or Annabeth, or Beckendorf. Of Silena. Annabeth picked up a long strip from a photo booth. Annabeth was wearing a wavy silver wig and Silena had a short pink one. _I remember this._ It had been from one of their friend's sister's bat mitzvah. They were both working there, waiting tables and cleaning up, but also partying because they had friend rights. It was at the beginning of their friendship and was still one of Annabeth's best memories. She put the photo strip in her box.

Annabeth continue through the drawer, reliving each of her memories of Silena through the pictures. That time they visited that cat shelter and nearly left with three cats. That time they stayed out all night in the rain playing pokemon go. That time they participated in a school wide protest; one that led to many more. Annabeth was putting memories one by one into boxes, to be tucked away in a storage container somewhere. Annabeth hoped that Silena's dad would cherish these. She knew he would. Her dad loved Silena more than anything.

Annabeth got to the last drawer. After this she would just have to clear some of the statues and candles (Annabeth was keeping the succulent) into a box and it would be over. Leo seemed like he was almost done also; just sorting through the last of her shoes and bags.

That last drawer didn't feel like it was filled with anything specific. There were a few receipts, some stickers, an old birthday card. Annabeth cleared the stuff out until she was at the back of the drawer. At the back a small manila folder with some envelopes in it. Annabeth pulled it out to look at closer. Maybe it was a will or something.

She opened the folder. There were five, maybe six envelopes with names on the back. Annabeth looked at the names and noticed they all had the same one.

Luke.

 _What could she be doing with my boyfriend? Was this- was this an affair?! No...no, she wouldn't do that. She loved Beckendorf too much. She wouldn't-_

 _Only one way to find out._ Annabeth made sure Leo couldn't see as she quietly ripped open the envelop with her nail. She unfolded the piece of paper inside and out fell a wad of cash. Annabeth's eyes widened. _What the hell? This is…$400!_ Annabeth hurried to read the letter.

 _Dear Luke,_

 _I can't do this anymore. It's wrong. I care about Annabeth too much to do this to her anymore. I don't want to get in the way of her happiness and if you loved her then neither should you._

 _I never spent your money, so have it back. After that first letter...well, it's over. I won't do it._

 _You can tell her. It's okay, I am going to tell her myself if nothing gets in the way of me doing that. You cannot blackmail be anymore. It is done._

 _-Silena_

Annabeth didn't know what it meant. What was Silena doing? Luke was blackmailing her? What was he paying her to do. Annabeth quickly read the other letters. They were all along the same lines, but none of the other ones contained money. Annabeth guessed the first one was the letter that Silena was going to give to Luke. Annabeth made sure Leo wasn't watching before she put the letters into her box, covering them with one of her sweaters that Silena had borrowed.

Annabeth almost threw the folder away, but flt a weight in it and looked inside. She pulled out one last letter, but this one was different. This one was addressed to her. She opened it and two pieces of paper fell out. She picked up one of them and began to read.

 _Dear Annabeth,_

 _If you are reading this that means I probably was not able to say this to you. What I wanted to say was...sorry. I am so sorry. I really, really love you Annabeth, and I am so sorry if I hurt you._

 _At the beginning of this year, when you first met Percy, I met with Luke for brunch. I thought he was just being friendly for once, but it turns out he was just trying to learn more about what you were up to without actually asking you. I accidently told him about Percy and well, things escalated from there._

 _He told me that he would tell you that I had blabbed to him about everything about you and that you would hate me, unless I did what he asked. He said he would give me money for every update I gave him on your a Percy's relationship and on other aspects in your life I thought would "threaten your relationship."_

 _I swear, I only wrote one letter and it wasn't on a lot. Like, he doesn't know about the kiss or the aquarium date or anything. He just knows that you like Percy and that you spend a lot of time with him. After I gave him the letter and he gave me the money, I knew I couldn't spend it. I know we went through some financial difficulties, but I couldn't spend it. It just reminded me of how guilty I was._

 _Luke began harassing me about giving him more info, saying he was going to tell you about the letters and the money. I realize now that he wouldn't have done that because it would have threatened your relationship, but I was so scared. I didn't want to lose you, and I believed I would. Luke can be very persuasive._

 _I thought that maybe I could take the money and give very minimal information to him, but I just felt so guilty. I thought I could avoid losing you, because you are one of my best friends and that I could cheat Luke in his own game. But I couldn't. I felt so bad, but I was also so scared that you would find out and that you would hate me. I know I don't have a whole lot of time left and I don't want to spend it fighting with you, or with you angry at me or sad because of me._

 _I am really sorry. I think it was because of my letter that Luke had Percy beat up and it's why he has been even more of an ass. I wanted to tell you earlier, I swear, I was just so scared. Please don't hate me. I don't think I could live knowing that you hated me. I really care about you Annabeth and I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me._

 _Love,_

 _Silena_

Annabeth didn't know what to think. Was she angry? Was she sad? Did she feel betrayed or did she feel happy that Silena cared enough to stop? She felt like the world was yanked out from under her feet. Annabeth knew she couldn't blame Silena. Silena had stopped after the first layer, and Annabeth knew just how persuasive Luke could be. She had not trouble believing that he would do this.

"Hey, Annabeth. I have to go." Leo said from behind her, reminding Annabeth just where she was. "Ae you- do you need someone or like...medicine or something? Your face has gone...chalky."

Annabeth shook her head.

"No Leo, I'm fine. I mean- not _fine,_ but you know what I mean. Just, go ahead. I'll just finish up." She replied, her voice brittle. Leo nodded and waved his hand before leaving. Annabeth turned back toward the letter.

Luke.

Annabeth knew that Luke didn't cause her death, but she knew that he made Silena's life a hundred times more difficult by being in it. And the fact that he had been spying on her in the first place was so...creepy. Annabeth _had_ to break up with him, if not for herself then for Silena. _In her honour,_ Annabeth thought bitterly.

Annabeth looked at her clock. It was already 5:30 and they were meeting at 6:45. Annabeth finished moving all of Silena's statuettes into a box and put it beside before taking all of the letters and the money out of her box and putting them in her bed. Then she sat down and put on her makeup, she even did winged eyeliner. _Not as good as Silena, but she would be proud._

She put on a jacket and her shoes and put her hair into a messy braid before she grabbed her bag and left, locking the door behind her. Annabeth stomped down the stairs and down the street to the restaurant. It was 6:30 and would be better to catch a bus or an uber across town, but Annabeth was done letting Luke rule over her life. She was going to walk and be late if she wanted, goddamnit!

 _Angry_ , Annabeth decided. _I'm angry._ Annabeth was angry at Luke. Angry at the way he treated her and he treated other people. She was done letting him walk all over her and ruin her life. Fuck the past, fuck the timers, she was going to live how she wanted from now on. She wasn't going to let someone dictate her life, Luke or death. Her life had already been messed up enough. Silena died, Beckendorf died, her parents went crazy, she had a fight with Percy, she had a fight with Piper. No more. _I won't take anymore._

 _No one will tell me what to say. No one will tell me what to do. I am young and free and I love to be young and free. I will live the way I want and say or do what I please. If I want to get a job, need it or not, I will get one. If I want to study architecture, whether or not I will get my degree, I will do it, regardless of what anyone says. And goddamnit, if I want to be with Percy I will be._

Annabeth found herself in front of the restaurant, fuming and ready for a nice long rant. She could already see Luke inside, in all of his blond, scarred glory. It made her blood boil. She walked in, throwing the door open and marching over to his table. He looked up in surprise.

"Annabeth! Hi! I didn't think you would be here. I heard about Silena. Awful, awful, just awful. I'm glad you came, though." He said, looking up at her and smiling with his most charming expression. Annabeth reached into her bag and grabbed the letters, slamming them onto the table and reveling at how quickly the blood drained from his face.

"Of course I came. We need to talk."

 **A/N: I am actually quite proud of that one. Anyway, I probably won't update for a while. Not for any reason in particular, just life getting in the way. I will try to update a lot after finals though. Please fave, follow and review and anything else you can think of would be appreciated.**

 **-skulls-surround-suns**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Hi guys! Happy Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Happy Kwanzaa! Happy New Year! Is there anything I missed? If I did let me know. I have been gone on Winter Break with no wifi, but I just got back home. Otherwise I would have updated before Christmas, but I guess New Years will have to do. Goodbye 2016 (finally)!**

 **Sorry is this chapter is especially shitty, my beta is on vacation and I wanted to get it up before it could be edited. If you want a nice edited version, then I suggest you wait until I update it.**

 **Lastly, Sally Stevens and some others might be wondering how many more chapters are left. My estimate is around fifteen more ? maybe more, probably less. I am not positive. Anyway, I hope y'all enjoy.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine**

"Where did you get those." Luke asked, his voice sharp. His eyes dart around the room.

"Silena. I had to clean out her part of our- my room. They were in her drawer." Annabeth said, trying hard to make her voice steely. Luke's eyes were still wide with panic as he tried to grasp at what to say.

"I- she- I can't believe she would do that." He said, feigning innocence. Annabeth knew better. This was just like him, to move the blame onto someone else. "That she would betray your trust like-"

"Bullshit, Luke!" Annabeth yelled. The whole of the restaurant turned to look at her. "Silena was only a friend to me. _She_ tried to stop you. _She_ was better than that. You on the other hand- you I should have known. You always have been pretty fucking manipulative. It's just like you to try and control me like this."

"Annabeth, not here! There are people watching!" Luke snapped under his breath, gesturing to the audience they were accumulating.

"Fuck if I care. Let them watch! Why shouldn't people know what a manipulative piece of shit you are. How could you do this to me? Monitoring me? Are you serious? I trusted you! You betrayed me, you betrayed my trust-"

Luke's lips tightened into a straight line as he glanced around the room again.

"It's so funny that you bring up trust, Annabeth. As if it's all my fault. You're just as guilty as I am. I know about you and Percy. Silena's not the only one who told me about you two. I know you've been prancing around my back for weeks with him. Does he even know about your timer? He won't ever share the connection we have!" He turned his wrist over to reveal his timer. Annabeth shook her head. She didn't want to think about that. This wasn't about timers. This wasn't even about Percy. This was about her. This was about her and her life.

"Did you ever feel any guilt for me?" He continued. "Did you ever think about me when you were fooling around with him behind my back?"

Annabeth's eyes widened.

"Why do you think you deserve _any_ say on what I do? Behind your back? Obviously is _wasn't_ behind your back since you knew exactly what was going on. So what is this really about? You never brought it up before. You never said anything. Is this about me and Percy, or is this about you. You just can't _stand_ not having the monopoly on me, the monopoly on my life. Did I ever really matter to you, or was this all about power?"

Luke sputtered. Annabeth knew not everything she said was true. She knew that Luke loved her, somewhere deep down, if not romantically than in some other way. She knew he cared, or that he did at some point. But whether he cared once or not, she couldn't live like this. Being whatever with Percy while she was with Luke was wrong, not because she was with Percy, but because she hadn't ended her relationship with Luke as soon as it started, or better yet, as soon as it started to turn sour. But what's done is done and this was long overdue.

"Why do I deserve a say?! I am your fucking boyfriend!" Luke cried, outraged.

"Luke, you know that this hasn't been working for a long time. I should have ended this a long time ago. What I did with Percy, I didn't do a lot, but it was still wrong and for that I am sorry." Annabeth's voice became softer and she unclenched her hands. The whole room felt like it was holding it's breath and she could feel people's eyes on her. "But this relationship is toxic, for both of us, and it can't continue. It's over, Luke."

It came out in a simple breath and that was it. Annabeth felt free. She felt like the whole world had been lifted from her shoulders, like before she was holding up the weight of the sky and was finally released.

Luke sank back into his seat. His face became less red with anger and now he looked more defeated. Like he knew it wasn't worth it to fight any more. He had already lost.

"But...I love you." He said, almost too quiet to hear.

Annabeth nodded. It broke her heart to hear the pain in his voice. She could still remember when they were perfect, but everything was a mess now. Annabeth was angry and sad and she wanted to tear the universe apart, but it felt like the universe is the one doing the tearing.

"I know. Somewhere...I love you too. But not like this. Love is to be earned, not given, and I don't think you've earned it. Goodbye Luke. I hope it," Annabeth nods to his timer, "- goes well."

She left the letters, along with the money, on the table before nodding at their audience (who pretend to go back to eating) and walking out of the restaurant.

And if she's maybe wiping away tears...well, that's nobody's business.

;;;

"Annabeth? Wha-?"

Annabeth walks past Piper and plopped face first on her couch.

"I did it." She says. "I broke up with Luke."

Piper comes over to the couch and puts her arm around Annabeth's shoulders.

"Oh, love, really?" She asks, concern noticeable in her voice.

"Yeah. You were right. You both were. He was- he was horrible. What he did- I couldn't' be with him anymore." Annabeth says.

"Do you mind if I ask what he did?" Piper says tentatively.

"Not now. I can't- I am too tired."

"Yes, yes, of course. Do you want me to get you anything? A blanket? Tea?"

"No. I...no, I'm good." Annabeth says, sitting up. She notices that the TV is on, playing the Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire quietly in the background.

"Are you...are you okay? I mean-"

"It's alright Piper, I know what you mean." Annabeth looks at Piper. She can feel tears welling up in her eyes. She knows that if she blinks they'll stream down her cheeks, leaving cold wet trails, before dripping off her chin. Annabeth tries not to blink.

"With Silena, and now Luke...it almost feels like I've lost two people. It's stupid, I know, Luke was awful to me so it shouldn't feel like a loss, but-"

"I understand. You still love him. It's irrational, but love is irrational. He was such a big part of your life; it's hard to let that go. All of the good bits, all of the things that you loved about him? All of that is coming to the surface. But you have to remember that not so good bit's too. You can't pick and choose what makes a person, they come as they are and you can choose whether or not to take them as such, good and bad. But sometimes the bad outweighs the good and you have to choose to let them go. Pro's and cons, Annabeth." Piper says, nudging Annabeth's side in reference to Annabeth's love of pros and cons lists.

Annabeth laughs even though she feels like crying.

"You did the right thing." Piper says, something Annabeth's hair down. Annabeth blinks and the tears go streaming down her face.

"I know. It doesn't _feel_ right though. Everything is falling apart." Annabeth sobs into Piper's shoulder.

"Shhh, it's okay, it's gonna be okay." She whispers. "For now let's just watch Harry Potter, hmm?" Piper reaches for the remote and turned the sound up.

Annabeth falls asleep to Professor Umbridge's high shrill and the words 'I shall not tell lies'.

;;;

Annabeth woke up on Piper's couch. The sun is filtering in through the curtains and there is a thin, green blanket draped on top of her. The TV is off.

Piper bangs around in the kitchen, but when she notices that Annabeth is awake she stops and walks over to the couch.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was gonna wake you up in a minute," She holds up two plates with strawberry crepes on them. "I made breakfast." She hands a plate to Annabeth before sitting next to her and offering a fork.

"Thanks." Annabeth mumbles, before digging in. She hadn't realized how hungry she had been, but she had skipped dinner the day before and crying was exhausting. She was famished.

"No problem. So...are you gonna tell me what happened or…?" Piper asks, her question fading at the end, like she isn't sure if she should be asking it. Annabeth put her fork down, suddenly losing her appetite.

"Yeah," She sighs. "After Silena...the police came over and said that I needed to box up her stuff so that it could be moved to storage until her dad could come and get it. Leo came over to help 'cause they became good friends after Beckendorf died. I was- I was clearing out her desk and I found these letters and money. From Luke.

"He was spying on me. He was trying to get Silena to spy on me and tell him about what I was doing while he was away. He gave her money. He threatened to tell is she didn't do it again. She wrote me a letter too. She thought that I would have hated her, but I didn't I don't. It was Luke. He was the one at fault, he was the one who, he was the one who ruined everything."

Piper listened and rubbed circles into Annabeth's back as she broke down.

"I confronted him and I told him I knew. He said it was my fault for being with Percy, that I was the only one in the wrong. He tried to pass the blame off to Silena, but I shut him down. It's not her fault. I broke up with him. I broke up with him. I can't believe that I broke up with him." Annabeth put her head in her hands and tried to breath.

"Hey, Annabeth, look at me." Piper said. Annabeth looked at her and Piper pt her hands on the sides of her face. "I'm proud of you. You did the right thing. You deserve so much more than Luke, and you know that. I am so so proud of you."

Annabeth exhaled and slumped back down into the couch.

"So, I know the Luke thing is kinda touchy, but what about Silena. She did _die,_ I mean, are you okay?"

Annabeth sighed.

"Yeah, you?"

"I think so," Piper said. "It was a huge shock...I didn't even think about that. I didn't really know her that well."

Annabeth thought of how little weight death held. She felt guilty that she didn't feel worse, even though it hurt like fuck, but it wasn't crippling. Timers had been in place for several generations, several generation worth of getting used to, even comfortable with death. Annabeth had read books from a long time ago that detailed the loss of someone carrying much stronger emotions that someone took with them through their whole life, never quite being okay again.

Annabeth supposed that that was something good about the timers. Death was like an old friend, something that couldn't sneak up on you. It reminded her of DCD's favorite phrase: 'Life is full of surprises; death shouldn't be one of them.'

It still hurt though. It still hurt that Silena wouldn't be in her life. She would never walk in to Silena painting her nails, or have another one of her makeovers. She would never hear her laugh again or trade stories about Silena's high school sweetheart, Clarisse. Silena would never help her with her biology homework and Annabeth would never give her math tips again. It hurt knowing that Silena wouldn't know what it's like to grow older, but Annabeth knew it would be the same for her too. Death was a part of life, and even though it hurt, Annabeth knew she had to move on.

"So what now?" Piper asks, shaking Annabeth out of her thoughts. "Are you going to talk to Percy? You made it sound like you had some sort of fight. Did he find out about your timer?"

"No, thank gods. He didn't find out. I- I am not really sure what I am gonna do. I really really like him, but...maybe I should take time for myself? I don't know. It didn't really go that well the last time we saw each other." Annabeth sighed. She really didn't know what to do. Everything was just so...complicated.

"Well, I mean, if that's what you need to do then I am all for it. Do what you want. Do what makes you feel happy. But uh...if you don't mind me asking...what _did_ you and Percy fight about?" Piper asks.

Annabeth sighs again and pulls back her hair to tie it into a bun.

"Have you got a hair tie?"

Piper nods and gives her one off of her wrist.

"Thanks. I don't know. It was about Luke. Percy didn't like that we were not really in a proper relationship because I was still technically with Luke.I mean, I get why he was mad. He had every right to be."

"You're not with Luke anymore though…"

"No, I'm not." Annabeth pushes a curly strand of hair that had escaped her bun behind her ear. Piper leans back into the couch and puts her feet up onto the coffee table.

"So…?" She asks, turning her kaleidoscope eyes onto Annabeth.

"So we'll see how it is. I'll give him some space. The whole thing was...a lot. I don't even know if he wants to be with me anymore. I am not sure I'm worth the effort."

"Oh pshhh. Fuck off, Annabeth, of course you're worth the effort. I don't think there is any possibility of him not liking you. I mean, I don't know, maybe a little, like a one percent chance, but that's beside the point. If you need time for yourself then take that time, but if it's because you think he doesn't like you, well then I am calling bullshit. Do what makes you happy. I want you to be selfish for once."

Annabeth smiled, but she internally winced at that. Being selfish was what got her into this mess in the first place. If anything she should _stop_ being selfish.

"Okay...I still think I am going to take some time. It might be good for me." Annabeth said uncertainly. She missed Percy to death already, and it had only been a few days, but Annabeth thought that it would be best if she took some time to get her head back on straight. Maybe think some things through.

They sit quietly for a minute and Annabeth considers turning on the TV to see what was playing at, she checks her watch, 9:30. Was it that late already?

Annabeth is almost reaching for the remote when Piper speaks up.

"So, I know you said you are going to take some time, but when you go back to Percy," Annabeth sends her a look. "Er, _if_ you go back to Percy, are you going to tell him about the timer? And if you decide not to be with him again, doesn't that- doesn't that mean that it won't change. That you definitely _will_ die in...five, six months give or take?"

Annabeth sat on that for a minute. Of course she wanted to live longer, but...she didn't want that to decide what she would do. She wanted to make decisions based on what she wanted and what she thought was best, not just to extend her life. And...it felt wrong to use Percy like that, especially since she knew him so well. If she did something, it wouldn't be for her timer. It would be for her or the people she cared about, and if that meant leaving Percy alone, then so be it.

"I mean, I don't think I will tell him now. I hope we can have some sort of relationship. I want it to be romantic, but if he can't do that… Anyway, I am not going to tell him now. I think if he did then it would be impossible for him to trust me. He would think that I only want him to use him, which I don't. I think, maybe once things are more stable, if they get that way. It will be easier then, I think he will know that I really do like him and it won't hurt so much." Annabeth said. She could tell that she was trying to convince herself as much as she was trying to convince Piper.

"Okay…" Piper said. Annabeth grimaced. That sounded a lot more uncertain than she had hoped. "I think...I still think that you should tell him as soon as you can. Just...don't wait too long. It would be a lot worse if you did. You would be lying to him a lot longer."

"It's not lying, it's just...withholding the truth?" Annabeth defends weakly. Piper raises her eyebrow.

"Whatever. Just, I know that you know what the right thing to do is. Please do that. Don't overthink. I know you are a huge overthinker, but I am sure everything is a lot more simple than it seems. Cartoons?"

Annabeth nods and Piper grabs the remote, switching on the TV. She channel surfs before landing on an old episode of Scooby Doo. Piper settles into the couch and grabs Annabeth's blanket, winking before turning her attention to the screen.

Annabeth thinks about what Piper said. Piper was so sure that Annabeth would do the right thing, but Annabeth didn't even know what the right thing was. But now? Now Annabeth didn't want to think about it. She was tired, mentally and physically and she just wanted to sink into the couch, steal her blankets back and watch brainless cartoons for the morning.

And on Monday in English when she would be confronted by her problems? Well, there was no need to think about that now. Now was Annabeth time, and so would that be, Percy be damned.

 **A/N: Well, there ya have it. I think I changed tense, what? Five times? Who knows? I was pretty out of it when I wrote this. Anyway, I realize the world I created seems kind of complicated as well as the timeline of the timers and everything, so if you want me to write a short (maybe long) description of Annabeth and Percy's world and of the timers and what not, I will do that (cause even I am confused). Please review, favorite and follow!**

 **-skulls-surround-suns**


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: Hey everyone! So formal apology for getting this up late: I am super sorry! I had a lot of stressful stuff going on all of the sudden, and I wrote another story (posted on my Ao3 account), and then I went through about two weeks on not writing at all because I got super insecure about my writing. All my life I've kind of had this fear or now being good enough and it's kind of escalated until good enough equated to being the best. It's super petty, but this person in my class got singled out by my favorite teacher to write a story for them and well, I got pretty jealous. But...I'm back! And better than ever, coming in with an extra long chapter!**

 **To all of those people who asked if I was abandoning this story: no. nope, not ever. This story is my child and I love it. It might take me a long time in between chapters, but I won't give up on it. Stick with me guys!**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

Nevermind. She takes it all back.

The moment Annabeth walked into the English classroom, it was like her breath had been taken from her. Percy was there in his seat, the one next to hers. He was getting his laptop out of his bag and taking off his jacket and slinging it around the back of the chair. Annabeth didn't even realize how much she missed him until he was right there in front of her. And well, plan be damned. "Me time" be damned. _I was wrong,_ Annabeth thought, _I was so so wrong. I want to be with him so much._

Annabeth felt especially pathetic when she sat down next to Percy, getting out her own laptop and pretending not to notice how Percy didn't even spare her a glance. Especially pathetic. Annabeth prided herself on being someone whose life and emotions were not completely defined by guys (something she realized was completely not true given her last few months and her whole timer problem) and she was kind of ashamed to be so hung up over one.

 _He's my friend before anything else,_ she reminded herself, _I am missing him like I would miss...I don't really have any other friends I can compare him with. Percy is one of a kind._ Even though Annabeth told herself this, she knew it was not really true. Well, Percy _was_ one of a kind, but she definitely didn't look at him as _just_ a friend. She hoped he didn't either.

Percy still wasn't looking at her and class was going to start soon. It was Monday, so Annabeth knew that right after class Percy would head over to the pool, so this was the last chance she would get to talk to him, at least until...actually, she could text him anytime, but that just felt wrong. It felt impersonal. She did know that it had to be her, though. She couldn't just wait for him to say something, she had to go up to him and apologise and tell him the truth about everything- Luke, Silena's letter, her feelings, her ti- maybe not everything.

Annabeth wasn't ready to tell him about her timer. Partially because she didn't want to loose him, which she was sure she would. Another, darker and even more selfish part of her knew that when he left that she wouldn't have another chance to change her time, to get more of it. After all of these years of living and accepting her time and being ready, Annabeth wasn't so sure she _had_ accepted it anymore. Not ever since Percy walked into her life. Now she isn't sure she can go back to the way it was before.

Annabeth didn't want to think about that, though. Some things were just too much, even for Annabeth, the queen of introspection. So she shoved those thoughts to the back of her subconscious for future Annabeth to deal with.

Percy was talking to Leo and Annabeth was about to reach over and tap him on the shoulder to get his attention when Mrs. Cavan walked to the front of the classroom from her desk. Percy straightened up when Mrs. Cavan cleared her throat and Annabeth snatched her hand back before Percy could see. It didn't matter though, he barely acknowledged her existence save for a brief nod in greeting before he moved his attention completely towards the front of the room.

"Hello everyone. I hope that all of you had a good weekend." Mrs. Cavan said, pausing to see if anyone wanted to add something. A few students mumbled their affirmation and then she moved on. "So to start the class I was thinking maybe we need a little change. You have been sitting in the same place for most of the semester and I am sure most of you would like to shake things up." She said.

 _Oh no. Please do not say what I think you're going to say._

"We're going to change seats!"

 _No, Mrs. Cavan! I need to stay here!_

"I have some ruled for where you can sit. First, you can't sit in the same row you're sitting in right now. Second, you can't sit next to either of the people that are on either side of you."

 _Mrs. Cavan! This is the worst possible thing that you could have done right now._

"Okay everyone. Get up! Move! You have one minute and then I'm starting class." Mrs. Cavan finished before going to sit behind her desk as students scrambled to find seats. To Annabeth's side Percy was doing some kind of strange handshake with Leo before moving up a row and to the left side of the room. Annabeth was tempted to follow him, but she didn't know how he would feel about that, so she resisted.

Annabeth stared blankly around the room at people. She wanted to sit with someone she was relatively friendly with, definitely not someone who she didn't like. Annabeth always found herself stuck in situations like these, situations where she couldn't find someone to sit with or a partner in class. It wasn't like people didn't like her, or that she had no friends or acquaintances in her classes, it was just that all of her friends had better friends that they paired up with, so Annabeth was left behind. Annabeth couldn't really blame them though, she would do the same.

"Hey Annabeth, what're you doing? Come sit down."

Annabeth looked over at Hazel. She was sitting next to an open seat on the right side of the room and several rows down and beckoning Annabeth to sit down next to her.

"What are you waiting for?" She asked, smiling. Annabeth smiled in return and sat down. Maybe she did have someone in this class.

Annabeth sat down next to Hazel and set her bag down. Hazel smiled at her and scooted hr stuff over.

"Thank god you're here. I don't know who I would have sat next to otherwise. Probably someone not as great as you." Annabeth said in relief.

"Haha, hey, who knows? Too bad you couldn't have sat next to Percy." Hazel said coyly.

"Er, yeah," Annabeth said. She looked over at Percy who was talking to the person her was sitting next to. "It's too bad."

Hazel frowned.

"Is there something going on between you two? He seems kind of-"

"Miss Chase and Miss Levesque, is there something more important than my teaching?" Mrs Cavan called out to them. Hazel flushed and snapped her mouth shut. She sent Annabeth a look and mouthed the words ' _I'll tell you later'._

Annabeth turns to the front of the room as Mrs. Cavan begins to explain their next assignment.

;;;

"So? What's going on between you and Percy?" Hazel asks once they finally get out of class. Annabeth has one and a half hours to kill before her next class, so she opted to go get lunch with Hazel downtown. She should have known she would get the interrogation treatment.

"We had a fight." Annabeth says. She doesn't really know if she wants to talk about it, so she doesn't elaborate. Part of her wants to tell Hazel everything and to completely unload, but the other part of her doesn't want to bother Hazel and knows that she'll just regret it later.

"Mhmm." Hazel scoffs, raising an eyebrow. "That much is obvious. What I meant was what did you fight about."

Annabeth sighs. Since Hazel is asking she might as well just tell her. Maybe Hazel will have some advice. Besides being a few years younger, Hazel is extremely mature and an outside view could be useful.

"We had a fight about my boyfriend. Er, ex-boyfriend. Percy and I we've kind of been...well, not seeing each other. Nothing was ever official, we just knew that we liked each other. Or, I think he liked me. He _did_ kiss me. Or did I kiss him?" Annabeth started mumbling as Hazel squealed.

"Oooh! I knew it. I totally called it! You're perfect for each other. I totally knew!" She said, waving her hands in the air. Annabeth smiled sadly as Hazel's forehead scrunched up. "Wait? Boyfriend? Was this before or after Percy?" She asked, obviously confused.

"Er, during." Annabeth answered feebly. Hazel's eyes widened.

"So you were...ahhh. I see."

"Yeah, it's um," Annabeth coughed. "Complicated."

Hazel nodded.

"How so?" She questioned. Annabeth sighed. _Oh boy._

"Um well, Luke- my boyfriend, was kind of an asshole….no, he was more than that. He was pretty mentally and emotionally abusive." Annabeth gulped. Even though she had accepted it, it was still hard to say out loud. "And well, Percy wasn't. He was nice and funny and we got along well. And I really really like him. But I couldn't break up with Luke. There's a lot of history between us. But then Percy and I fought and I realized that what we had was so much more important and better for me than what I was holding onto with Luke. I ended it a few days ago. I uh, I haven't had a chance to tell Percy. Or apologise for everything in the first place." Annabeth didn't mention her timer. That was too much right now and complicated everything eve further. She was also scared that if she told Hazel then she wouldn't believe that Annabeth's feeling for Percy were leget. (They were very legit)

"Hmmmm…" Hazel hummed. They turned into a quaint cafe that had a heavy yellow aesthetic that Annabeth had never been in before. She looked around at the decor, the yellow walls and what looked like a lemon themed chandelier. _It's cute,_ she thought.

"I'll have two croissants and an americano and, Annabeth, what would you like?" Hazel said to the purple haired woman behind the counter before directing her attention onto Annabeth.

"Hm? Oh, uh, I'll have a chai tea latte?" Annabeth said.

"And one chai tea latte. Small?"

"Small." Annabeth confirmed.

The barista nodded and Hazel payed her before Annabeth could even take out her wallet. When the barista went to go make their drinks Annabeth argued with Hazel about paying for their drinks.

"Let me just pay you back-"

"No, Annabeth, it's only four dollars-"

"Yeah, so I could just-"

"Annabeth, it's fine. Anyways, think of it as a...I don't know. Like a 'I hope you feel better about your shitty love life' kind of thing. On me."

Annabeth sighed in defeat.

"Okay, fine." She said. The purple haired barista from earlier called their orders and they went to get their drinks and warmed up croissants from the counter. Hazel found them a seat at a small table (with black and white checked table cloth and an awkward looking fake lemon branch in a glass jar) and they sat down across from each other.

"Okay, so you fought about your horrible ex boyfriend and you haven't apologised for it yet. Am I getting this?" Hazel asked through a bite of croissant. Annabeth fiddled with hers in her hand, peeling off the top layer. She nodded in affirmation so Hazel continued.

"So why haven't you apologised yet?" She asked.

"Well," Annabeth says, placing the other layer of the croissant in her mouth. "For one, I haven't found the time. He hasn't answered my texts and so I was going to do it today, but you saw how he was. He obviously didn't want to talk to me. And then we moved seats. And I couldn't do it after class because he has to go straight to swimming-"

"Awww. That's so cute. You _know his schedule!"_ Hazel said. Annabeth shot her a glare.

"And...I'm scared that he's not going to like me. That I am going to go and apologise and tell him that I broke up with Luke and that he's going to just...not accept it. Because after everything I don't know why he would still like me. I wasn't loyal and I had been using him-"

Hazel cut her off.

"Are you kidding me?" She asked, incredulous. "That boy is arse over tits for you. There is no way he doesn't like you. I have seen the way you look at eachother, him especially. Frankly, it's gross. Adorable, but gross. And Percy's a good guy. A great guy. He may have been angry and he might've said some harsh things, but he understands. He- he's had to deal with...difficult people. His late stepfather, before Paul, Gabe Ugli...Ugli something, was pretty terrible to him and his mum. So he'll understand. He just needs to get over himself. Just be sincere. And sooner, rather than later would be good." Hazel explained. Annabeth swirled her chai tea in her cup and looked at the lemon chandelier.

"That's pretty ugly, isn't it?" Hazel said, following Annabeth's gaze. Annabeth nodded.

"Sure is." She agreed.

"I like it though." Hazel turned her attention back to Annabeth. "You'll take my advice?" She asked.

"Yeah, I'll take your advice." Annabeth sighed. She smiled gratefully at Hazel and Hazel seemed to get the message. _Thank you._

"Good." She said, then pointed to Annabeth's partially unraveled croissant. "Are you going to finish that?"

Annabeth shook her head and pushed her plate over.

;;;

Annabeth wanted to apologize to Percy, she really did.

She just...couldn't. Every time she was going to go up to him, every time she was going to say something, he slipped off to swim practice or he was dragged away by one of his friends. And Annabeth was just as busy. With the end of the semester coming near, that meant one thing- finals.

Annabeth didn't know when the last time she slept more than three hours at a time was. She had perpetual dark circles under her eyes and she walked around in such a daze most days that Piper had taken to calling Annabeth 'Zombie'. In the last week she spent four out of seven nights in one of the open 24/7 for finals week classrooms in the architecture building, along with a dozen other equally exhausted students.

Whenever she tells people that she is a major procrastinator, people are always surprised. Maybe it's because she gets good grades, mostly A's, with a few B's (and that one C she had in that obligatory music class in high school). Or maybe it is because she is so responsible literally everywhere else. Piper told Annabeth that it was because she was a perfectionist. She didn't want to do something unless she was a hundred percent certain that she could do it perfectly. Piper said all this while speaking over her psychology book, so Annabeth decided to trust her. It sounded pretty accurate too.

So here she was. Procrastinating, as usual, except this time she was procrastinating talking to Percy and hiding behind the excuse of finals. Both her and the tumblr app opened up on her phone knew that it wasn't finals that was keeping her from seeking him out. She why was she procrastinating this? Maybe it was for the same reason she waited to do her school work. She was scared that he would reject her, that she wouldn't be good enough or that her apology wouldn't sound genuine enough.

If she never actually talked to Percy, she couldn't get rejected, could she?

Annabeth shook her head. _No, that wouldn't work._ Annabeth _had_ to talk to him. Even if he did reject her romantically, they might still be able to be friends. Annabeth hated to admit it, but it was _killing_ her(literally and figuratively), not being able to speak to Percy and knowing that they had left on such bad terms.

So now the biggest question: how would she find him? She knew the basics of his schedule, like general class times, work times and she knew when he had swim. Technically she could probably ambush him at work, or right after, but that seemed kind of mean. She didn't want to risk getting him fired and after a long day dealing with caffeine deprived customers might not leave him in the mood for talking to someone he was already mad at. Maybe she would ask one of his friends? Leo maybe?

She had gotten Leo's snapchat a little while ago, so she sent a snap to 'Commander Tool Belt'. Annabeth still hadn't changed his username yet, though it did kind of suit him. From what Annabeth had heard, Leo was quite the engineer.

 **Annabeth_Chase**

 _Hey, do you want to meet up? Around four? I need to ask you something._

 **Commander Tool Belt**

 _Is this a date? ;))))_

 **Annabeth_Chase**

 _No_

 _Meet me in front of the library at the corner of elm and cherry?_

 **Commander Tool Belt**

 _Kk_

 _This wouldn't be about loverboy, would it?_

 **Annabeth_Chase**

 _Did someone tell you about that?_

 **Commander Tool Belt**

 _About what?_

 _Is there something to tell?_ _( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)_

 **Annabeth_Chase**

 _You can't see me but im rolling my eyes at you._

 _See you at four_

Well, at least that went pretty well. It went more smoothly than conversations with 'Commander Tool Belt' usually went, save that part about 'loverboy'. To be perfectly honest, she had thought that he was referencing Silena's old nickname for Percy, which had made her a little...uncomfortable? Annabeth didn't really know how it made her feel, but she didn't really like it.

Annabeth looked at her watch. It was around two in the afternoon. _How am I going to kill two hours?_

;;;

Piper opened the door with a tired sigh.

"Oh," She said, her eyebrows lifting in surprise. "I wasn't expecting you."

Annabeth rubbed the back of her neck, a habit she realized she had adopted from Percy.

"Yeah, I didn't text. Is this not a good time? I was just-"

"No, no, it's fine. I wasn't doing anything. Just come on in." Piper turned around, picking her way through her apartment. Annabeth followed.

"Is there something going on?" Piper asked, once she had plopped herself on her couch and layered several blankets on top of herself. It had been getting colder (Annabeth still couldn't believe it hadn't snowed yet, it was _that_ cold) and Piper's heating was absolute shit. Annabeth could swear she could see her breath when Piper spoke.

"Yeah, heating's shot. _Again._ "

Annabeth nodded and caught the blanket that Piper threw to her. She was done suggesting Piper ask her movie star dad to pay for better apartment, she knew Piper was too proud for that.

"So?" Piper prompted and Annabeth was reminded of her earlier questions.

"Ah, no. I mean, yes, but no. Nothing more than usual."

"Oh. So you wanted to talk about it?" She asked. Even though Piper tried to conceal the fact that she really didn't want to talk about it again, Annabeth could still tell. She was sure it was pretty annoying to hear the same vexations repeatedly, especially if they aren't yours. But Annabeth knew that Piper was too good a friend to say any of this.

"No. Not really. I'm meeting Leo at four and I needed a way to kill some time. Did you know the library is closed for maintenance?"

"No, I didn't- wait. You were going to pick the library over me?" Piper asked jokingly.

"No, no. I mean, yes, but only 'cause I wanted to get some more studying in." Annabeth said. Which was true- she needed to study as much as possible, she just really didn't _want_ to. At least not now.

"I mean, we could study here if you want to." Piper suggested. Annabeth shook her head roughly.

"Oh gods no." She said. Piper laughed.

"What level?" She asked.

"The American education system is stupid and I don't think the rest of my life should be determined by a grade point average." Annabeth said flatly. Piper laughed loudly again.

"So like, a six?"

Annabeth laughed and put her yeah in her hands, nodding in agreement. The numbering was a thing that Piper had come up with a few years ago. She called it "Annabeth's phases of homework done-ness". It started out as half assing it or looking at the odd number answers at the back of the textbook ( number 2 and 3) and went to number 10, that time Annabeth threw a textbook out of her dorm room window in the middle of the night. Annabeth was at a number six, which usually meant ranting about America's poor education system and how grades were a ridiculous concept. Which didn't mean she still didn't want good ones. She would just attain them by complaining to whoever was in the general vicinity about how much studying and homework sucked. Which was a lot. Being dyslexic and reading a textbook was _hard._

"Okay, then we better do something to take your mind off of everything." Piper said, waving her arms around to signify 'everything'. Then she walked over to the TV and crouched in front of a small rectangular white box. She slipped in a CD and then turned around, holding two fully charged Wii controllers in her hands, the same ones that she had bought for herself about ten years ago.

"Mario kart?" She asked as a picture of Mario and Luigi popped up on the screen along with upbeat theme music and an icon telling the user to 'press A'.

"Only if you let me play Peach." Annabeth said. Piper wrinkled her nose. Hey," Annabeth said as Piper sat down. "You know Peach is the best. She kicks ass."

Piper rolled her eyes and tugged on one of Annabeth's curls.

"Sure thing _princess._ " Piper mocked. Annabeth huffed and tugged her blanket around her shoulders.

Piper sped past the home screen, choosing two remotes and then vs, before they came to the character choosing page. Annabeth picked Princess Peach (as always) and Piper picked Waluigi.

"No, Piper. Not him. _Anyone_ but him." Annabeth groaned while Piper cackled.

"Hey, I like him!" Piper snorted. Annabeth scoffed.

"You just like him for his memes."

Piper shrugged and picked her vehicle.

Once they got to the page where the picked the course, Piper stopped.

"Which one do you want to do" She asked.

"Hmmm. Let's start kinda easy. DK Summit?" Annabeth suggested.

Piper pointed the Wii remote at it and nodded. Before clicking on it. The course landscape showed on the screen. Annabeth narrowed her eyes and smiled confidently.

"I'm gonna kick your ass."She said.

Piper gave her a sly smile and quirked an eyebrow..

"I'd like to see you try." She said as the race counted down 3...2….1.

;;;

"Annabeth, you know it's a quarter to four. You should probably be leaving soon."

"Stop trying to distract me, Piper." Annabeth said, jerking her remote back to desperately stay on the road.

"I am doing no such thing."Piper said, pulling alongside Annabeth and banging her car into the side of her's. "Just- oh jesus- look at the clock." She said as Annabeth's character pulled ahead and Waluigi fell off of a cliff. Annabeth rolled easily into first place and did a celebratory mini bow as Princess Peach called ut encouragements from the screen.

"Rematch." Piper demanded. Annabeth looked at the clock on her phone.

"I don't know. I mean, you were right. I probably should leave." Annabeth said. Piper crossed her arms in front of her chest.

"Re. Match. I am in second place overall and we have one more course in this round. One more race and I _will_ be in first." Piper insisted. Annabeth grinned competitively.

"In your dreams. I suppose I have time for one more."

Piper whooped and jumped up and down in her seat excitedly before choosing a course. Annabeth got ready to start her car, reving the engine. The screen said GO and the two of them started 'driving'.

Piper shoved Annabeth's shoulder to distract her and Annabeth almost went over the edge. They were driving Wario's Gold Mine, nothing too hard, but many possibilities of dying. Annabeth scoffed at Piper's attempt to knock her off course. Two could play at that game.

"So Piper, what's new? Anything exciting going on in your life?" Annabeth asked, dodging a flying shell.

"Oh, now look who's distracting who." Piper said, gritting her teeth. Annabeth laughed.

"I'm just wondering. I feel like we only ever talk about me. I want to hear about you." Annabeth said. Of course even though Annabeth was using this conversation as a distracting technique, she still cared about Piper and what was going on in her life. As much as she had seen Piper recently, she had no idea what was going on with her.

"It's fine." Piper muttered, mostly concentrating on keeping her car straight as she went on a particularly narrow part of the course. "Nothing really new and exciting. Well, not as exciting as your life."

Annabeth felt a little bad. Her life wasn't exciting, it was _stressful._

"Absolutely nothing has happened. No interesting projects in psych? No new Jason developments? Oh, didn't you have that drama with..what was her name?"

"Drew?"

"Yeah! Her. What happened with that?" Annabeth asked. Piper sighed and glanced at Annabeth and then turned her eyes back to the screen, swerving when she realized she was about to crash into a wall.

"Oh, it's no big deal. She was just making a move on Jason, knowing full well that we're dating and then she started insulting Silena. I don't know Silena a whole lot besides meeting her a few times and hearing you talk about her, but I knew that what Drew was saying wasn't true."

"What was she saying?" Annabeth asked.

"It's not important." Piper said quickly. "It was just really shitty and I got mad at her. But-" Piper paused as i searching for the right words. "It turns out that Drew was going through some shit and she actually really missed Silena but didn't know how to verbalize it."

"Did she- did she tell you this?" Annabeth thought back to Piper's recountings of her encounters with Drew. It didn't seem like a very Drew thing to do.

"No. She definitely didn't. She called me a bitch and then stomped away. But I could tell. Psych major." Piper explained.

"Wow. Impressive." Annabeth commented. She was currently on her third, and last, lap and was at first place. She didn't know what it was about this game, but it tended to calm her down and help her focus. Maybe it was just all of the random little things happening at all times that were able to accommodate her mile-a-minute brain.

Annabeth could see the finish line before her and was ready to cruise easily past it, like the last race, when she felt Piper's car bump into her own and begin to ram into Annabeth's. Piper's driving was always so aggressive, and that was her problem. She was so concentrated on pushing other cars around that she didn't pay attention to anything else. Annabeth stopped driving for a split second, just enough time that Piper wasn't able to stop her car from missing Annabeth's completely and careening off the track. Annabeth pulled into first place, followed by several NPCs before Piper pulled into fifth.

The screen cut to the trophy screen with Annabeth's Peach in first place and Piper's Waluigi celebrating his third place. Piper certainly wasn't celebrating. She sulked on the couch until Annabeth made to get up.

"Re-"

"I have to go, remember?" Annabeth said. Piper huffed but then cracked a smile.

"Okay But next time- rematch." She said.

"Sure sure." Annabeth replied, shaking her head. "But I'm still gonna kick your ass."

"We'll see about that."

Annabeth huffed out a laugh, waving before leaving Piper, remote in hand starting her own solo races for 'practice'.

;;;

Annabeth could already see Leo sitting on a bench outside of the library. His face was buried in a scarf and he was fiddling with some sort of device, maybe fixing it, but not getting much done from how much his fingers were shaking due to shivering. When she came running over, slightly out of breath and ten minutes late he merely looked up and pocketed his device. He nodded towards the library.

"Do you want to go in?" He asked, teeth chattering. It was really freakin could out.

"It's closed. Renovations." She said. Leo looked puzzled.

"Then why did we meet here?" He asked.

"Centralized location. And it was the first thing I thought of." She explained. Leo shrugged.

"Okay. Let's find somewhere warm then. I am freezing more than my ass off out here and you were like, twenty minutes late." He complained. Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Jeez. Calm down, drama queen. It was only ten." The began walking down the street towards the center of the small air bit at Annabeth's cheeks and turned them pink. Annabeth looked over at Leo to see that you could see the the chill in his cheeks and nose too, despite his dark complexion.

"When it's sub zero the time automatically doubles."He explains.

"Okay, one, time doesn't work like that. I mean technically time isn't even real, but that's a talk for another time, and two, it isn't even sub zero. It's like, at least 35 fahrenheit, which is like one or two celsius." Even though she said this, Annabeth couldn't help but agree with Leo. It did feel like sub zeroes.

"Whatever. It's still pretty freakin cold. Hey, wait." Leo put his hand up, stopping Annabeth. He pointed at a small, orange flyer on the window of a yoga studio.

"Mini gold." He said, looking at Annabeth with excitement. "You up for it?"

"I don't know…" Annabeth said uncertainly. The only mini golf sh had ever known had all been outside and she sure as hell didn't want to stay out in the cold even a second longer.

"It's inside." Leo said. "And heated. Apparently."

Annabeth was sold.

"Let's do it." She grinned. "I bet I'll win."

Leo scoffed.

"As if. You might be good, princess, but you'll never beat the Super Sized McShizzle. I am the bomb at mini golf."

Annabeth laughed. Leo had quite the competitive streak, very much like Piper. Actually, they would probably get along really well.

"I'll hold you to it." Annabeth said, looking up the directions to the course on her phone.

;;;

Leo was in fact, not 'the bomb'. He was actually quite the opposite of 'the bomb'. He was the building that exploded because of the bomb. Annabeth faked a large, exaggerated yawn as she waited for Leo to hit the ball into the hole. He frowned and narrowed his eyes in focus, aiming his club at the ball, carefully drawing back and hitting it gently. He waited with baited breath as the ball rolled across the floor. It passed by the hole, about six inches off and he groaned.

"Why am I so bad at this?" He moaned, looking over at Annabeth, who had gotten her ball in after about five hits. She shrugged.

"It must be this stupid course. The blacklight is messing me up."

"Or maybe you just suck." Annabeth teased. Leo just stuck his tongue out at her and walked over to his ball. Annabeth actually really liked the course. Since it was indoors, the company took the opportunity to paint it in neon colours and to install black lights so that the course was glowing in eerie light. It also made the shoelaces of Annabeth's converses and Leo's white shirt glow brightly. Annabeth just liked watching her laces move as she walked.

"Yesss!" Leo cheered, raising his arms up in the air. "Finally. Let's go to the next one." He scooped his ball out of the hole and started walking towards the next little course. Annabeth pushed herself off of the wall she had been leaning on.

"You kicked it in, Leo." She called after him. She picked up her club and followed him over. The next course had the ball going through an open shark's jaw. _Percy would like this._

"Don't you want to leave this hell site at some point?" He said, standing to the side as she lined up her club with the little white ball.

"I guess."

"Then don't call me out on my cheating."

Annabeth mimed zipping her mouth shut and locking it before swinging and hitting the ball across the course, through the shark's mouth and a few feet away from the hole.

"How?!" Leo called in disbelief. Annabeth laughed. She walked up to her ball and pushed it into the hole easily. Leo groaned and raked his hands over his face.

Annabeth stood back as Leo took aim and hit the ball into the next course. He yelled in indignation and walked over. Something was nagging at the back of Annabeth's mind. She wanted to talk to him about something…

 _Oh right. Percy._ How would she bring him up. She didn't want Leo to think she was just using him to find Percy. Technically that _was_ why she had asked him to hang out today, but she was having a great time too. Maybe she should hang out with Leo more. _Okay, back on topic._ How to bring it up…

"Hey Leo, how's Percy been doing? I feel like we never talk anymore." _Nailed it._

Leo stopped looking for his ball (which had disappeared behind a glowing red windmill) and looked over at her.

"You mean since you two had that fight and he called to hang out with me crying and we had to watch the whole of star wars for him to calm down? You mean since then?"

Annabeth cringed. _Oh god._ She didn't know that. She had been too wrapped up in the idea of Percy being angry with her about the whole thing that she hadn't even considered that he would be just as sad as her.

"Look Annabeth. I can tell you how to like, get in contact with him or whatever, but you need to stop doing this." He sighed and walked over, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

"Doing what?" Annabeth asked.

"Doing this whole thing where you like, ask me to hang out, but you don't really _like_ me, you just want to find Percy. Like, I get it, you like him, he likes you, it's all very exciting. But when you do this it's like, I don't know, you're just using me." He said. Annabeth felt shocked. She knew that Leo wasn't the confident, playboy persona that he constantly projected, but she hadn't imagined him to think so lowly about himself. She felt especially guilty that he was almost completely right, at least about one thing. She kinda _was_ using him, and she _did_ invite him to hang out to get some Percy intell. But he wasn't right about all of it.

"I'm sorry." Annabeth said quietly. Leo looked up at her, like he hadn't expected her to apologise. But Annabeth felt like she owed him the truth. "I am using you. And I did invite you to hang out to learn where I might find Percy. And I'm sorry for that."

Leo ducked his head. She could hear him sniffle and she felt horrible for making him cry. Annabeth stepped closer.

"But you're wrong about one thing." She said. "I do like you. I-I don't know you very well, at least it seems like I don't, but from what I've seen, you're really great. I hit _you_ up because I knw that of everyone who would know about Percy, I would actually really enjoy hanging out with such a cool dude. "Annabeth reached out and put her hand on Leo's shoulder. He exhaled shakily.

"I'm sorry." He said. Annabeth's eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. _Now Leo's apologising?_ "I'm not good with people. I know I act like I am, but I'm really not. Jeez, this is so stupid. I'm sorry."

"Shhh, no, it's okay. You have nothing to apologise for." Annabeth said, rubbing his shoulder. She was glad there were no other people at the gold course, at least this section. She felt like Leo probably wouldn't want someone to accidentally walk in on this moment.

Leo wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. He seemed to try to shake off his tears and he gave Annabeth a watery and obviously fake smile. She wasn't convinced.

"Hey, let's just," He sniffed. "Let's just get through the stupid course. Then, then I'll tell Percy to like, get ahold of himself and agree to meet you somewhere-"

"Leo, no, you don't have to do that." Annabeth started to say, but Leo raised his hand to stop her.

"No, it's fine. I think he should pull up his big boy pants and get over himself anyways." Leo smiled that sad, watery smile again and Annabeth felt her heart drop. She could tell that he didn't want to talk about his insecurities, that he was trying to pretend like nothing happened, but now that Annabeth new they were there, she felt like she couldn't just leave it alone. But she would, at least for now.

"Can I borrow one of the extra golf balls? I seem to have lost mine." Leo said, the smile not quite reaching his eyes. Annabeth handed them over. For now she would leave it be, but not forever.

;;;

As promised, Leo had texted Percy after they finished the gold course (a whole two hours later at seven oclock). He had been feeling much better (and doing much better, even getting a hole in five, his new personal record) and was even making his usual jokes and silly flirts with Annabeth. Annabeth was pleased. The other sad version of Leo, well, that had opened her eyes. She was glad she was able to see that, and that he felt comfortable enough to show her that (although she didn't know if it was something that he could have prevented), but more glad to see him happy.

Several minutes after Leo texted Percy, Percy texted Annabeth. She nearly cried in relief and scrambled to unlock her phone, more grateful than ever that her phone had fingerprint recognition. Leo just huffed out a laugh and stuffed his hands in his pockets.

 **Percy- Let's meet up tomorrow at the aquarium in the big room**

 **Percy- is 1 ok**

 **Percy- i think we have some things to go over**

Annabeth rushed to type a response.

 **A- yes**

 **A- all of that is good**

 **A-i will se you at 1**

 **A- i agree, we have a lot to talk about**

Percy sent back a thumb emoji and Annabeth very nearly died. She resented the notion that she was getting so hyped up about a _boy_ , but goddamn it, he was her friend too. She had the right to be excited.

"So, I better get going." Leo said. Annabeth looked up at her phone and then back down at it. It was already seven fifteen. She should have known it was getting late, the street lamps were already on when they had left the course.

"Yeah, yeah, I probably should too."

Leo waved and turned to walk away, but Annabeth grabbed his arm.

"Wait. Uh, we should do this again. I really, really liked hanging out with you. I had a lot of fun. Maybe we can see that new Star Wars movie coming out? No ulterior motives. Just friends." She said. Leo smiled, something genuine that reached up and crinkled his eyes.

"Just hoes being bros." He muttered and Annabeth let go of his arm, laughing out loud. It echoed down the empty streets and Annabeth was delighted when Leo's own laugh joined it.

"Yeah. Just hoes being bros." She said, when she had stopped laughing. " See you around, Leo."

He playfully saluted.

"Hasta la later." He said. Annabeth smiled at him one last time and began walking towards her dorm.

;;;

Annabeth woke up late. Not that it really mattered, she still had several hours to meet Percy, but it didn't bode well for the rest of the day. A bad stat usually led to a bad middle and a bad end.

Annabeth remembered her first week living in dorms, several years ago. She had always had her own room and the change of having someone always there, sharing her space, made her _super_ uncomfortable. All she wanted to do was call home and, what complain? She didn't have that kind of relationship with either of her parents, and anyways, college had always been her chance of escape from her old life, so if there were a few things she had to put up with, so be it.

But now? Now Annabeth wanted nothing more than to wake up to Silna doing her makeup at her desk or maybe also sleeping, across the room, made apparent by her breathy snores that Annabeth always teased her for. Waking up now was infinitely lonely.

Annabeth got ready and ate a handful of dry cereal for breakfast. She didn't feel like going out to get anything. It was already eleven thirty, so she had an hour and a half, maybe a little less, to kill before meeting Percy at the aquarium. She sat down on her side of the room and opened her phone, scrolling through tumblr after she set an alarm to leave at twelve thirty.

Nothing seemed to interest her. Time seemed to simultaneously crawl and speed up as she waited to leave and Annabeth debated just leaving now and exploring the aquarium. _Yeah, that sounds better._ Annabeth put headphones in her phone and her ears,sifting through spotify to find something to listen to to fit her mood. She clicked on twenty one pilots Vessel album and let herself listen to the first song that came up for a second. _Yep, this is fine._ She left, locking the door and shoving her hands in her pockets, just so they would have something to do.

;;;

Annabeth should really come to the aquarium more often. It was actually really nice, even if it was a little small. She found it soothing and she always had liked the ocean. She wandered around the aquarium, trying not to focus on her growing anxieties and instead focusing on the octopus hidden in the corner of it's tank. Octopi really were pretty cool creatures.

"That's a common octopus." Someone whispered in Annabeth's ear. She didn't jump because she new exactly who it was. "It's scientific name is Octopus vulgaris."

"I feel like it should be called the red octopus or something like that." She responded.

"Actually," Percy said. "Octopi change colour based on their surroundings. This one is red because it's relaxed."

"Hmm. I think I've read that somewhere." Annabeth remarked. She turned around and faced him. "Percy."

"Annabeth. It's- it's nice to see you." Percy said. He seemed just as nervous as her, and Annabeth breathed a sigh of relief. Maybe she wasn't the only one who really missed this.

"Do you want to go to the coral reef room or…" He asked.

"Let's just walk, maybe?" Annabeth suggested. She wasn't sure she wanted to face him head on, and with something else to concentrate on, maybe the conversation wouldn't seem so scary. Percy seemed to be thinking the same thing as he quickly agreed.

The walked silently through several dimly lit rooms, past tanks full of orange and pink sea nettle jellyfish and tiny striped eels poking their hands out of the sand. Annabeth would have thought it would be uncomfortable, but it wasn't. Being around Percy always made Annabeth feel better, so this shouldn't have surprised her like it did.

But someone did have to say _something._ It had been nearly twenty minutes of walking and observing exhibits with not a word exchanged between them. It might be nice, but they were there for a reason. Annabeth had things to say. Percy didn't seem like he would initiate conversation any time soon so she had a feeling that she would have to be the first to break the silence.

"I'm sorry." She said. Annabeth reveled in the amount of times she had had to say that recently. She could feel Percy's attention shift to her. "I never really meant to pretend. That thing with Luke? There was nothing behind it. It was merely me holding onto the past. But I'm done with that. I want to move on. I want to embrace the future."

Percy hummed in acknowledgement when she paused.

"And I'd like you to be a part of that." She said. She shifted slightly anxiously before quickly moving on. "I'm not going to be naive and think that things can just go back to the way things were. I still like you just as much as I did before, I'm not going to lie. But...if that's not what you want, then that's fair. I just hope that you'll stay in my life because...because when we weren't talking, it was only what, a few weeks? It was horrible. I missed you so much. I don't know how, but you've just become such an important part of my life and I can't- I can't imagine a life- without-without…"

Annabeth began stuttering to a stop as Percy ceased walking. Somehow they had ended up making it to the coral reef room, and the soft blue light enveloped them. He's beautiful and Annabeth's known this for weeks, but she's only just found the words for looked absolutely radiant as he drew closer to her, his sea green eyes as soft as the light and crinkling at the edges like it does when he smiles. Annabeth glances down at his mouth and, _yep, he is smiling._ She looked back up, blushing as she realized Percy had seen her glance down at his mouth, but not too embarrassed considering how close his face was to her's, growing closer every second.

"-without you…" She breathed, in a last stitch effort to finish her sentence. Percy is so close and all she can think of is _Percy Percy Percy_. Everything, the families with their children, the fish, the bored looking college students in t-shirts that said 'I'm an aquarium kelper', everything disappeared around her, everything except the soft glow of the aquarium lights, filtering in through the water. She felt his breath fan across her face, and she should have been disgusted, but she was so, so not disgusted.

"Just...stop talking." Percy whispered, his face so close that she could feel the ghost of his lips against hers. Annabeth's eyes fluttered closed as she reached behind his neck to pull him closer still and close the gap.

 **A/N: Thank you so much for reading! Sorry for the kind of anticlimactic ending, but I promise they will talk it out. The next chapters are going to be completely dedicated to their relationship. If you have any cute date ideas, let me know and I'll see if I can fit them in!**

 **As I said above, I will not be abandoning this story, not unless I die or somehow am not physically able to continue. This story is my baby, and I wouldn't abandon it for the world, it's just hard to keep up with writing is all. So, I am going to write some kind of guide or explanation that explains the universe and everything for anyone confused and I will tack it on the end of the next chapter (probably), so you can expect that. Lastly, I need a new beta. Me current one, Sunday Storm, although magnificent in every way, is going to become very busy soon and might not be able to beta for me anymore, so if anyone wants to help a poor author out and get the story before anyone else, just hmu. Don't forget to fave, follow and review!**

 **-skulls-surround-suns**

 **P.S: Thank you ArifXero for correcting my video game terminology. My video game knowledge pretty much goes to early 2000's Mario Kart Wii and stops there.**


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: She lives! Hey, y'all I am back, finally. So, I could drop excuse after excuse, and trust me, I have a lot of them, but y'all don't want to read that! So I'll keep it short and sweet. This is just a little filler/ build up chapter. I hope you enjoy!**

 **A very special thank you to my two new betas A Samhildanach and Cipher032. They have been so awesome and amazing and helped me so much. I am eternally grateful to the both of them. I recommend you go check them out, 'cause they're writers too.**

 **If you recognise it, it's not mine.**

" _And he said that he loved me too, And then he kissed me!"_ Piper sang, holding up a dress to Annabeth. "How 'bout this one?"

"This is so cheesy," Annabeth said, rolling her eyes at Piper's terrible singing. "I think... one with more colour."

Piper nodded, bobbing her head along to the beat of the song that was currently playing and putting the dress back.

"It's a classic and you know it. It's the perfect 'getting ready for a date' song," she said, digging through the closet.

"I don't think being in the intro of one 80s movie makes a song a classic."

"Annabeth," Piper shot her a pointed look. "You love Adventures in Babysitting."

"I know, I know, but, uh, doesn't she like...find out her boyfriend is cheating on her or something? I don't think that's the kind of 'date' I'm getting ready for. At least, I hope not."

Piper glared at her over her shoulder.

"Y'know what? I don't need your sass, Annabeth. Now-oof-try this dress on." Piper said, yanking something out of the closet and throwing it at Annabeth.

"Yes, ma'am." Annabeth went into the bathroom and closed the door before slipping the dress on. She looked at herself in the mirror. She really had to congratulate Piper for her good pick. It was light purple, tight at her torso before hanging loosely from right above her waist. It came to a little bit above the middle of her thigh, which, okay, was a little uncomfortable. Annabeth was so used to wearing pants that a dress seemed a little...breezy. She liked it though, especially the cutouts at her sternum. It made her feel...pretty.

"Annabeth! Come out and show me!" Piper called from the bedroom. Annabeth sighed and twirled one last time in front of the mirror, admiring the way the dress fluttered around her thighs, before opening the door.

"Oh! That looks so good!" Piper squealed. She was sitting on the bed, and appeared to be debating whether to have Annabeth wear socks or tights. Annabeth hoped it would be the latter. She bent down slightly to grip the bottom of the dress and tugged it down.

"Are you sure this isn't too much?" She asked. It certainly _seemed_ too much.

"Of course not, of course not. You look great. You're probably gonna have to pick that boy's chin up from off the ground." Piper held out the pair of tights for Annabeth to take. Annabeth grabbed them, but instead of putting them on, she plopped down onto the bed.

"It's really pretty, Piper, but...I feel like he's going to think that I'm trying too hard. Or that this isn't me."

Piper turned around, probably noticing the lack of putting on tights. She noticed Annabeth's uncertain expression and sat down next to her.

"Hey, Annabeth. If you don't want to wear this, you don't have to." Piper said, taking Annabeth's hands.

"No, Pipes, it's not that. It's just, what if he was wrong? He told me that he wanted to be with me, but what if he really didn't? Or maybe he thinks he does, but when we're actually together he'll change his mind." Annabeth let go of Piper's hand and laid back onto the bed. She tugged down the bottom of the dress again as it rode up.

"Well, you guys talked, didn't you? And you explained everything to him, right?"

Annabeth stayed silent.

" _Right?_ "

Annabeth sighed. "Mostly. I haven't told him about the timer yet. I just didn't feel that the time was right. And I didn't want to ruin everything," Annabeth told her in a small voice.

"Uuhhg, Annabeth." Piper grabbed a pillow and smushed her face into it. "You're killing me. You _need_ to tell him-"

"And I will-"

"Soon! As in _now_! The longer you wait, the worse it will get. You know that."

Annabeth did know that, but…

"What if I just...never said anything?" _That sounded good. Avoiding the problem until it just went away._

Piper stared at her blankly for a second before shoving her face back into the pillow.

"Annabeth. Annabeth, Annabeth, Annabeth." She said, her voice muffled. She lowered the pillow to look at Annabeth. "You know that won't work. He'll find out. What do you think will happen when you live past your birthday and everyone who knew is suddenly treating you like a miracle. Do you think he'll just turn the other cheek. He's not really that unobservant, is he?"

"He's very observant." Annabeth mumbled.

"Hmmm?" Piper asked.

"Nothing." Annabeth said a little louder. Piper tilted her head and raised an expectant eyebrow. "I'll tell him." Annabeth sighed.

"When?"

"Soon."

"As in now?"

"As in soon."

They sat in silence for a second before Piper turned away. Annabeth sat up.

"You told him everything else?" Piper asked.

"Yeah."

"And he's okay with everything? He still likes you?"

"That's what he said."

Piper grinned.

"Then I think you have nothing to worry about." Piper took the tights from Annabeth and threw them on a pile on the top of her desk chair. "So what do you actually want to wear?"

Annabeth laughed shakily in relief.

"Jeans, please. 'Cause, uh, if you haven't noticed, it's cold as fuck."

;;;

Percy picked Annabeth up from the front of Piper's apartment complex. She watched him walk up in understated jeans, a leather jacket, and appropriately date-worthy windblown hair. Someone must have helped him with that, because usually his hair was less 'casual day at the beach' and more 'Hurricane Percy'. It was a good thing Annabeth liked Hurricane Percy.

"Hey," Percy said when he reached her. He put his hands in his pockets and scrunched up his shoulders, giving her a small smile.

"Hey," Annabeth replied. She didn't really know what else to say. What do you say on a first date? She hadn't had one in…well, a long time. And Percy and her hadn't really bothered with small talk before, at least they hadn't in awhile. As they stood in front of Piper's building looking at each other, the silence grew between them.

"Oh, jeez," Percy chuckled, taking a hand out of his pocket to rub the back of his neck awkwardly. "I was hoping this wouldn't be awkward."

"It's not awkward unless you say it's awkward." Annabeth blurted. Percy laughed.

"Good thing we keep bringing it up, then, huh? Anyway, who in the world told you something like that?"

Annabeth shrugged.

"A teacher. It was a while ago." She said.

"Well, I'm calling bullshit. That's total BS."

Annabeth laughed, ducking her head.

"Whenever someone says that something's awkward, that's the first thing I think of," she defended.

"What, is that the only thing you learned in high school?" Percy teased.

"Middle school, actually. And no, I also learned that the mitochondria is, in fact, the powerhouse of the cell." Annabeth shot back. Percy wheezed.

"Okay, okay. I think the awkwardness has more or less dissipated-"

"Until we get into whatever mode of transportation you have planned for us."

"Yes, until then. Do you want to get out of here?" Percy asked, holding out his hand.

"Yes, please." Annabeth said taking it. "I think I just saw Piper watching us from the window of her apartment."

"Then we'd better get going, hadn't we?" Percy said, pulling Annabeth in the direction of the parking lot. Annabeth hurried her step to match pace with him, and so she could see his face when she interlaced her fingers with his. (hint: it was very red and had a bashful smile on it.)

;;;

The mode of transportation they ended up using turned out to be Percy's car, and the ride had been short. Halfway to their destination, Percy had Annabeth close her eyes, much to her discontentment. ("It's a surprise." "Yeah, it'll be a huge surprise when I trip over a rock and die." "You're not going to die; you've got eighty years left." Percy said, gesturing to her timer. Annabeth grew silent after that.). Nonetheless, he made her keep her eyes closed, all the way to the place, out of his car and into the foyer of a building. Annabeth only tripped three times (and Percy tripped four). Finally, he let her open her eyes.

"Ta da!" Percy said, spreading his arms.

"Wow! A rollerskating rink!" Annabeth said uncertainly, and not without a bit of sarcasm. She wasn't unhappy with it, she just….well, it had been a long time since she had last roller skated. A _long_ time.

"What, do you not like it?" Percy asked. He made the pouting face that Hazel said made him look like a baby seal.

"No, no!" Annabeth reassured. "I do. Really, I do. It's just…"

"Do you not know how to skate?" Percy asked, incredulously, like he couldn't believe he had found something that Annabeth couldn't do. Annabeth huffed, crossing her arms. _There's plenty of things I can't do._ Unfortunately, her pride won out.

"Of course I know how to skate." She insisted.

"Great." Percy sighed. "'Cause I don't. You're gonna have to teach me."

Annabeth gulped. _Oh lord._

"Sure thing." She said weakly. Percy gave her a wink before turning to the salesperson.

"Two adults." He said, holding up two fingers.

"Will you be renting skates?" The person, a short girl who looked about the same age at Hazel, asked. Percy nodded in affirmation. The girl put the money that Percy handed her into the cash register and pulled out two paper wrist bands. "Okay, you're going to pull off the sticker over the sticky part and then attach it to this white area on the band. You need to wear these to prove that you're payed."

Percy nodded along while he fixed the band to his wrist and then handed Annabeth hers. Annabeth put hers on, carefull not to tear the easily breakable sticky part. Once it was on, she pulled on it a bit to make sure it wasn't too tight. Even though it fit her right, it was still uncomfortable, and an obnoxiously bright neon orange. Percy seemed to like it though.

"I used to keep these on my arms until they fell off. Sometimes they would last for weeks." Percy said with an excited grin.

"That's kind of gross." Annabeth wrinkled her nose.

"Yeah, well…" Percy shrugged. "I liked how they looked. And they were fun to play with. I used to brag about the ones that I got from the hospitals every time I got a new injury."

"Clumsy kid?" Annabeth guessed. Percy coughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, that….among other things." Percy looked slightly uncomfortable and he quickened his pace to the skate rentals.

Annabeth wanted to know more, but she didn't think it was the time, so she just followed him over.

"Shoe size?" The person behind the counter asked.

"Twelve."

"Eight."

The person nodded before going to find their skates in the racks.

"So," Annabeth started. "Rollerskating? Isn't ice skating the more appropriate winter date activity?"

"Yeah, but that's just wildly unoriginal." Percy said. "Plus, it's super freaking cold. I was going to be super romantic and take you back into the mountains where we first kissed, but I figured that was a bit too much for the weekend before finals week."

"Well, you were right about that." Annabeth said, grabbing her skates from the skate person. She thanked him and then went to the allotted benches besides the rink.

As she was shoving her feet into the skates and attempting (failing) at lacing them, Percy came and sat next to her, putting on his own skates. When he had finished, he glances over at Annabeth as she struggled, grinning before he knelt down in front of her to help.

"Are you sure you know how to skate?" He asked. Annabeth didn't answer, but according to Percy's smirk, her expression gave him the answer.

"There. Done." Percy held out his hand for Annabeth to grab. She stared at it as she tried to figure out how to stand up. Attempting to just do it quickly, she straightened out her knees, standing up so quickly that she started to tip forward.

"Wow!" Percy said, grabbing her shoulders and steadying her. Annabeth blushed from embarrassment, partially from nearly face planting, partially from the embarrassingly high pitched squeak that came out of her mouth. She didn't even know she could _make_ that noise.

"Okay." She muttered to herself. "Okay. One foot in front of the other."

From the sound of Percy's light chuckle it seemed he had heard her.

They held onto each other as they made their way onto the rink. Annabeth couldn't imagine how the sheer volume of lights, from the three disco balls hanging from the ceiling to the red and green strobe lights flashing from the sound booth, could possibly help anyone skate. A music video was being projected onto the back wall, something from the nineties. The Spice Girls, maybe? Whatever it was, Annabeth was lowkey digging it. Not that anyone ever had to know.

Percy, much to Annabeth's displeasure, began to skate towards the center of the rink, dragging Annabeth with him. Annabeth tried to protest and take them towards the wall where they wouldn't be so out in the open, but Percy kept going to the center. Of course Annabeth could have let go and went herself, but...no.

"Come on." Percy said when Annabeth protested. "You're never gonna get any better if you just hang off of the wall."

Annabeth knew that was true, but it didn't mean she had to like it. Normally Annabeth would have taken whatever it was and tried to be the best at it, but with roller skating she knew that wouldn't happen. And hanging onto the wall was a lot less damaging to her pride than falling on her ass in front of the fricking gold medallists of nine year old roller skating. Nonetheless, Annabeth stayed with Percy.

"Y'know, you're a lot better at this than you let on." Annabeth pointed out.

"No, I'm just a lot better than you. I still suck." Percy laughed. Annabeth playfully punched his arm, but ended up losing her balance and slipping backwards right onto her butt.

"Jeez, then I guess I _really_ suck." She pouted, reaching for Percy's outstretched hands.

"And that's why we should practice. By the end of the night we're both gonna be skating champs."

"I don't know about that." Annabeth said. She held out her arms to steady herself. "I can barely stand on these things."

"Hey, we can get you one of those balance bars." Percy pointed to a five year old desperately clinging to something that looked like the end part of a shopping cart made out of white tubing.

Annabeth snorted. "Please. I am not using that."

;;;

Annabeth ended up using the balance bar. It took falling on her ass five times within the first hour and Percy's gentle coaxing to get her to grudgingly take one. It helped that Percy had one too.

Now that Annabeth wasn't super focused on trying not to fall, she had a lot of fun. Percy and her mostly fucked around, having races and dancing to the shitty 90's and early 2000's music that they both actually sort of enjoyed.

It was so funny. Annabeth couldn't even remember the last time she had had so much fun with Luke, if ever. Is this what it was supposed to be like when you dated someone? Annabeth tried not to be bitter that she had been missing out on something like this for so long. She had it now and that was what mattered.

The music paused and the regular lights went on. Annabeth stopped attempting to do whatever the rollerskate version of an ollie was with Percy (it had turned into a competition and Annabeth was nothing if not competitive) as a booming voice came over the speakers.

"ATTENTION EVERYONE! IN FIVE MINUTES WE WILL BE DOING THE HOKEY POKEY. ANYONE WHO DOES NOT WISH TO PARTICIPATE MUST MOVE OFF OF THE RINK."

The music resumed and the strobe lights came back on. Annabeth sighed and began skating towards the edge of the rink. She wasn't really confident in her 'hokey pokey' skills, but it would be fun to watch everyone attempt it in their skates.

"Hey, where're you going?" Percy grabbed her arm, forcing her to stop.

"Off the rink." Annabeth said. At Percy's confused expression she continued. "The guy said that everyone should get off if they weren't doing the Hokey Pokey."

"But we _are_ doing the Hokey Pokey." Percy said, dead serious.

"But we'll look like fools." Annabeth argued. There was no way it could end well. She remembered when she was younger and her mother used to take her ice skating at Rockefeller Center. They had something similar to this every few nights, except it was ridiculously christmas themed, because 'twas the season. Annabeth never participated, but she remembered the people who did. They always looked completely ridiculous (also ridiculously happy).

"So? Who said that was a bad thing? Sometimes you have to look like a fool to have some fun!" Percy said. Annabeth bit her lip and looked outside the rink and then at Percy's stupidly smiling face.

"Oh fine." She said finally, and grabbed his hand, clumsily dragging him to the center of the rink along with six or seven elementary schoolers just as the lights changed to a pinkish hue and the music switched to something sounding way too upbeat.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! WE ARE STARTING HOKEY POKEY. SING ALONG IF YOU CAN! NOW PUT YOUR LEFT LEG IN, PUT YOUR LEFT LEG…"

The children around them began singing with the tune, along with an overly enthusiastic Percy, much to everyone's delight. Annabeth felt a little bit embarrassed, but in a _good_ way, if that was even possible. The parents sitting around the rink were taking videos of their children with their phones and giving thumbs up when their children would wave at them. Annabeth felt like she stuck out, being about fifteen years older than the average person on the rink and standing about half a foot taller, but with Percy next to her, it didn't seem to matter.

She felt him squeeze her hand, the hand that she hadn't bother to let go, and she looked over at him. He grinned, glowing in the pink light and whispered something that she couldn't hear. She just laughed along with him and let go of his hand to put her left arm in and shake it all about, according to what the song was telling her to do. She heard him whoop loudly, probably glad that she had finally joined in. After they 'did the hokey pokey and turned themselves around', Annabeth wasn't even surprised when their hands reconnected in between them and their fingers intertwined.

;;;

After finished the hokey pokey (which somehow lasted almost ten minutes), the macarena, and tripping over the chacha slide, Percy and Annabeth decided it was about time for them to sit down and grab something to eat. After grabbing slices of pizza and slurpees (cherry for Annabeth and Blue Raspberry for Percy) for the both of them, Percy met Annabeth at a booth at the side of the rink.

"Here ya go, my lady." Percy said, with an exaggerated bow. Annabeth snorted.

"Thank you, kind sir. Whatever shall I do to repay such a debt?" Annabeth replied, deciding to play along with it.

"How about a kiss from the fairest of them all?" Percy said, tapping his cheek. Annabeth rolled her eyes, but hoped that he couldn't see her blush.

"Y'know...we're losers." Annabeth said as though she was just making a realization. Percy pointed his piece of pizza at her.

"Yeah, well, losers have the most fun." He said, unfazed by her comment. She wasn't really serious anyways, maybe only half serious.

"Explain."

"Well," Percy paused to take a bite of his Pizza and then continued to talk with his mouth full (Annabeth tried not to grimace). "Losers don't care what people think."

Annabeth pondered that for a second as she took a first bite of her pizza.

"Well, I'm a loser _and_ I care what people think." She said.

"Okay. Then you're uh….nevermind. I don't know what to say to that." Percy said. "Although, I don't think most people think you're a loser."

"Why do you say that?"

"Well, when I first saw you, you just seemed really put together and smart and people seemed to like you. Also, you're just like, really pretty. When I first saw you I was like...wow." Percy said. Annabeth buried her face in her hands to hide her blushing (though it was futile. She knew she blushed up to the tips of her ears too.).

"You're quite the charmer." She managed to choke out. "But, uh, most of that isn't really true."

"What do you mean?" Percy asked. He looked slightly worried. Annabeth gulped. She didn't want to accidentally scare him off with her weird mix of extreme pride and low self esteem.

"Well, uh, people think that because I don't really talk in class, or like ever. I mean, I talk, but only when I am sure that I will be right. So people only hear me when I'm right and so they think I'm always right, which is pretty much the opposite of me. And I'm definitely not put together. I'm a total mess. All through high school I was late to first period almost every single day. I got so many detentions in high school. But uh, yeah. That's a thing." After saying all of that Annabeth kind of felt like hiding away. If she was a turtle she would have been trying to hide in her shell. It wasn't that she didn't trust Percy with her doubts, it was that she didn't trust _anyone (_ except maybe Piper) _._ Opening up like this, showing him her cards, it made her feel _vulnerable,_ but if she could trust anyone, she could trust Percy. Since unfortunately she wasn't a turtle, she would have to face this like the apparently put together person she was.

"That...is a thing." Percy said. Annabeth wasn't sure if that was an answer, so she waited for him to continue. "It's a thing that's not true. I know that you're crazy smart. Don't forget that I sat next to you. I saw you writing down the answers, even when you didn't raise your hand. And being smart...it's not just knowing the right answer at the right time. I-I had a really hard time realizing that when I was a kid and was getting C's and D's and being passed between schools like a game of hot potato. But, uh, the things that you know...it's really incredible. You're full of all of these random facts that you can just list off and it's amazing. And you're ability to think outside of the box, your determination, your hard work…. It's something I've always really admired. Even at the beginning of the year when I thought you had a stick up your ass."

Annabeth hit his arm playfully. She tried to pretend that it wasn't a big deal what he said to her, but _it was._ No one had ever really given her any credit for how hard she worked, and no one had ever acknowledged her insecurities (not that she had ever disclosed the to anyone). Throughout her life the only recognition she had ever received were expectations. A pat on the back and a raise of the bar. No one had ever told her that they were proud of her, or that they _admired_ her. It was...it was really overwhelming, quite honestly.

"Thank you." She said quietly, so quietly that she wasn't sure Percy would hear her. He gave her a reassuring nod that he understood, and she reached across the table and grabbed his hand. They were kind of greasy from the pizza, but she didn't really care.

"I like getting to know you." Percy said suddenly. Annabeth turned her eyes from the skaters in the rink that she had been watching. "Oh my god. I know what we should do."

"What?" She asked. Percy looked absolutely delighted, like he'd just unearthed the greatest idea.

"Ws should totally play twenty questions." He whisper-yelled. Annabeth scrunched up her eyebrows.

"Isn't that that game where one person thinks of something and the other person has to guess what it is?" She asked.

'Nooo," Percy hissed. "No way. Is that your weird San Francisco version of it?" Annabeth rolled her eyes. "Twenty questions is just the most perfect first date game. It's pretty much like truth or dare, but without the dare-"

"So truth or truth?"

"Yeah, like that. You have to ask the other person twenty questions and they ask you twenty questions and you have to answer completely truthfully. It's perfect for getting to know someone."

"We already know each other." Annabeth argued.

"Well obviously not well enough. Do you want to play?"

Annabeth decided, _why not? What's the harm?_

"Sure, I'll play. You go first."

"Aww, why do I have to go first." Percy pouted.

"Hey you're the one who suggested it." Annabeth pointed out. Percy stuck his tongue at her. "Real mature, Percy." She said sarcastically, but that didn't stop her from doing it right back.

"Okay, uhhhhhh…" Percy said, extending his 'uh' as he thought. "What's…..your….favorite colour?" He asked finally. Annabeth snorted.

"Very original." Annabeth said.

"Hey, it's about as original as that jab." He said right back. "Besides, you didn't answer."

"Hmm. I like yellow. But like, not in abundance. It's a good complement. Greyish purple is also nice. It's calm...and subtle." She answered. Percy seemed to think about that for a bit.

"Interesting. It's your turn." He said finally.

" _Interesting?_ That's all you have to say?" Annabeth asked. She felt like there should be..more?

"It's your favorite colour. I mean, do you want a five page analysis?" Percy asked. Annabeth sputtered.

"I mean, no...I just...nevermind. Uh…-"

"See, it's not as easy as it seems." Percy pointed out.

"Oh, shut up." Annabeth tapped her fingers against the sticky table. She watched the music video playing on the wall opposite of them and tried to think.

"What is your fatal flaw?" She suddenly asked. Percy looked confused.

"My what?" He asked.

"Your fatal flaw. Everyone has one. I mean, I'm being a bit over dramatic, but it's like your biggest weakness, the thing that would lead to your downfall. It's something I read about in this book series when I was younger."

"Wow. Deep stuff." Percy thought for a few seconds. "I'm not sure what mine would be. I feel like it's kinda hard to tell with yourself, y'know?" He took a big gulp from his Slurpee, and stuck his tongue out. "Is it blue?"

Annabeth laughed.

"Yeah, it's blue alright."

They sat in comfortable silence for a few seconds before Percy asked "What do you think it would be?"

"Hmm?"

"My fatal flaw. What do you think it would be?" Percy looked uncharacteristically serious. Annabeth snorted.

"I don't know. Probably something like 'being too nice' or 'too loyal'." She smirked at him as he rolled his eyes.

"Okay then, so what's yours?" He asked.

"Hubris." Annabeth replied. Percy blinked.

"You mean that brown stuff they spread on veggie sandwiches?"

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"No Seaweedbrain, that's _hummus._ Hubris is much worse."

"Seaweedbrain? You haven't called me that in a while." Percy commented. Annabeth shrugged. "Okay, what's hubris. I can't imagine anything being worse than hummus."

"Hubris is like...deadly pride. It's thinking you can do anything better than anyone else." Annabeth explained. She looked around. This conversation seemed kind of heavy to be having at a roller rink while eight year olds were dancing to Lady Gaga five feet away. Percy seemed to be interested though.

"Wait, but that stuff you said earlier...doesn't that seem kind of...contradictory?"

Annabeth sighed. She knew this would come up.

"Yeah well...it's kind of like...I don't really think I'm as smart or as good as people think I am, but at the same time I still think I can do something better than them. Piper says that it's because my mind is trying to match people's expectations by making be go above and beyond. It's kind of like a war between my need for validation and my low self esteem." Annabeth stopped and put her head in her hands. "Oh god. That was...too far." She looked back up at Percy. "I've ruined this date, haven't I. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have-"

"No! No, no. It's totally okay. I don't mind at all. I'm glad you trust me enough to tell me this." Percy said. "The date is totally not ruined."

"Uhg, but still. It's like word vomit. It starts and then I just can't stop." Annabeth took a deep breath. "Look, can we talk about something else?" Annabeth pleaded.

"Yeah. Sure. Uhhh….if you were a beverage, what kind of beverage would you be?"

"What?"

"Twenty questions. We still haven't finished." Percy said. _Oh thank god,_ Annabeth thought. She smiled.

"Hmmmm….I think I would be...lemonade." She said.

"And why is that?"

"Because…..

;;;;

Percy and Annabeth played twenty questions for a while, until some song by NSYNC came on and pulled Annabeth back onto the rink exclaiming 'This is my song!'. They skated for a while, taking turns trying to pull each other across the rink and trying different dance moves and tricks. Most of that time was actually spent on the ground, swearing after falling from attempting said tricks. They chose to ignore the irritated looks they were getting from some of the parents sitting around the rink. ("I think the people here hate us. We'll never be able to show our faces here again." Annabeth said. "I think that's just your excuse to not come back."Percy pointed out. Annabeth pouted. It wasn't her fault she hated being bad at things.)

They decided to leave right around closing time (read: they realized that the employees desperately wanted them gone).After turning in their skates and putting their heavy coats and gloves back on, Percy took Annabeth outside to his car. Instead of getting into his seat, he moved to the front of the car and sat on the hood, sliding himself up until he could lean against the windshield. He patted the space next to him.

"Are you coming?" He asked.

"What, up there?" Annabeth asked.

"Yeah, why not?" Percy said. _Why not? Well, it's freezing and it's nine o'clock at night, and did I say it as freezing,_ Annabeth thought, but when she say the earnest look on Percy's face she ultimately sighed and pulled herself onto the hood of the car next to him.

When she had settled Percy turned his head to look at the sky, resting it on the windshield. She copied his position, looking at the dark sky. It was cloudy and in the yellow city light it looked kind of a dark brown. Everything was silent, save for Percy's hand tapping a rhythm onto the car. She looked over at Percy and found him already looking at her with a fond expression. She smiled lightly at him.

"The stars look beautiful tonight." He said with a grin. Annabeth glanced up at the sky before realizing there were no stars tonight.

"Oh my god," She laughed. "You're so full of shit."

Percy laughed.

"You know what else is beautiful?"

Annabeth covered her eyes, recognising what he was doing now. Before he could say anything she answered.

"You." Annabeth laughed as Percy sputtered and his face grew red.

"Hey, that was my line!" He cried, leaning over to poke her. Annabeth laughed as she tried to bat him away.

"Ow, hey! I'm gonna fall off!" She laughed, closing her eyes and trying to poke him back. Their laughter filled the empty parking lot and Annabeth forgot all about the cold.

She barely noticed when Percy stopped laughing until she opened her eyes to see him hovering over her. His pupils were blown wide and his face glowed in the blue and pink fluorescents of the roller skate rink neon sign. She grew quiet and stared up at him.

Percy smiled softly at her again.

"You really are beautiful." He whispered. His breath hit her face and she reveled at how close they were. The air was charged between them and Annabeth hoped she was reading the situation correctly when she made the split second decision to throw her arms around Percy's neck and pull him into a kiss.

Kissing Percy always felt fresh and new, even though she had kissed plenty of people before him. Maybe it was the way he tilted his head to the left instead of the right, or maybe it was the way he brushed his thumb over her cheekbones, making her skin tingle deliciously, or maybe it was the way she felt about him, the way she had never felt about anyone before. She smiled into his mouth when he lightly bit her lower lip and pulled his hair laughing as he kissed along her jaw.

Percy pulled away, sighing contently as he went back to his previous position of lying next to her. Annabeth rested her hand in between them and felt relieved when he linked his fingers with hers. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

"I really do wish the stars were out tonight." He finally said. "It would be so much more romantic."

Annabeth nodded in agreement even though she didn't know if he could see her head.

"Stupid clouds." She responded and Percy huffed out a laugh.

"Stupid light pollution."

"Yeah, stupid light pollution."

They were silent again, but not for long before Percy talked again. Percy was the kind of person who liked to fill the silence with conversation, even if it was silly or mundane things. Annabeth usually prefered the silence, or maybe music to drown out the world around her, to mindless chatter, but somehow with Percy it was okay.

"I always really liked stars." He was saying. "I know I have said that a million times, but I really do. I was going to take you back to the mountains or to the beach again, but I thought that might be too much for the weekend before finals week. But yeah, we could have probably seen the stars from there."

"If you like the stars and space so much, why did you decide to not study them?"

Percy pondered this for a minute and Annabeth wondered if he had forgotten her question.

"I guess," He said slowly. "The thing I like about them is the mystery. I like not knowing all about them. That makes it all the more enchanting." He said.

"That was...really well put. I know what you mean." Annabeth said quietly.

"Also," Percy added as an afterthought. "I really love the ocean. And I want to know more. Did you know we know more about Mars than we know about our own ocean? It's really crazy."

"Have you always wanted to be a marine biologist?" Annabeth asked.

"No. Well, I mean yes, but I didn't know what to call it. I knew I wanted to study the ocean, but I didn't really realize that was a thing. And then I was still indecisive about exactly which area I was interested in."

"Really?"

"Yeah. When I was seventeen and searching for colleges my counselor asked me what I wanted to study and I panicked and said surfing."

Annabeth laughed.

"You laugh now, but it was so embarrassing. Plus, the girl I really liked was right outside the office and heard me say that." Percy grimaced at the memory which made Annabeth laugh even harder.

"Okay, and what about you? Have you always wanted to be an architect?" Percy asked.

"Yeah. More or less. My mum is an architect, among a bunch of other things. She was kind of my inspiration." Annabeth said.

"Ahhh. And what about your dad. What does he do?" Percy asked. Annabeth stiffened.

"He's a historian." She said cooly. Percy winced like he realised that he had just broached a sensitive topic.

"Oh yeah. You uh," He lowered his voice, even though they were alone. "You don't have the best relationship with him, do you?"

"Yeah, I, uh, I ran away from home when I was younger. My step mother didn't want me living with them because she said I was a 'problem child' and she didn't want me to influence her sons. My dad sided with her a lot and eventually I couldn't take it. We kind of lost connection after that. I mean, I still get birthday cards in the mail and everything, but we don't really talk." She said, chewing on the inside of her cheek.

"Do you think you'll ever try to connect again?" Percy asked. Annabeth couldn't meet his eyes.

"Please, I'm not into self inflicted pain."

"You shouldn't give up." Percy said. "Maybe you should write him a letter. Or stay with him for part of the break. I mean, you were gonna stay on campus anyway, weren't you?"

Annabeth considered it. She wanted to get back in contact with him, but at the same time, whenever she thought about it she saw her step mother's face as she told her that she didn't want her in her house anymore. Annabeth shook her head.

"I don't know. I can't." She said. "Can we not talk about this?" _I'm afraid I'll start crying if we continue._ Percy looked disappointed, but he nodded.

"Sure. But uh, think about it maybe. It might be for the better."

"You're right. I will." Annabeth promised. She thought about her timer. It might be a good think to connect with him before...well, before she couldn't.

"Sooo...subject change. If you were a flower, what kind of flower would you be?" Percy asked.

"Oh my gods, are all of your questions like this?" Annabeth fake groaned.

"Only my good ones. So, what would you-" Percy stopped talking and looked at a spot right next to Annabeth's head.

"Percy?"

"Annabeth, it's snowing." He said, reaching forward and pinching a snowflake that was caught in her hair between his fingers. They both turned their faces to the cloudy sky and watched the snowflakes fall around them.

Annabeth looked over at Percy. She loved his childlike expression of wonder. It was like he was seeing snow for the first time all over again. She noticed a snowflake caught on his eyelashes and on a strange impulse, leaned over and kissed it.

"What was that for?" Percy asked. His confused expression made Annabeth laugh.

"You had a snowflake caught in your eyelashes." She explained. The confused expression didn't go away, but it was accompanied with a smile.

"You're such a weirdo."

Annabeth shrugged and looked back up at the sky.

"Hey Annabeth."

"Hmm?" She jolted in surprise when she felt Percy's lips on her own, but then relaxed and smiled into the kiss.

"Snowflake." Percy said, leaning back with a mischievous grin. Annabeth, still smiling, rolled her eyes and shoved him good naturedly.

"Oh my god, you loser."

"Romantic loser." Percy pointed out. Annabeth grunted in agreement and slid off the hood of the car.

"Come on, Seaweedbrain. It is officially too cold. I draw the line at it is literally snowing."

Percy slid off the car hood and unlocked the car. Annabeth climbed in and settled into her seat.

"Did you have a good time?" Percy asked while starting the car.

"Yea. I really did. Next time though, we'll do something I'm actually good at so I can spend less time falling on my ass, figuratively and literally." Annabeth said buckling herself in.

"So, there'll be a next time?" Percy said with a smug smirk. Annabeth gave him an unimpressed look.

"Oh please, you knew they would be a next time. And it'll be _me_ taking _you_ on the date." Annabeth said.

"I look forward to it." Percy said. "Home?" He asked. Annabeth nodded. Percy pulled out of the parking lot and fiddled through the radio stations, finally landing on some classic rock. Annabeth looked out the car window at the snow falling outside and smiled to herself.

 _Next time._

 _;;;;;;;;;;_

 _A/N: As I promised, a small description of this world. So my idea was pretty much that the timers had been created a few generations ago. I am technically doing this in the future, but using all technology from the present because I don't want to invent anything. I don't think I am going to go super into references enough to talk about how timers influence media, but you can imagine that popular things like Harry Potter or other pieces of recent culture have timers in them. I imagine they are put in when you are born, or maybe at your first check up because birth can be a delicate time. Therefore, they are probably not as common in countries where most people give birth somewhere other than a hospital._

 _If you have any specific questions, don't be afraid to PM me and I will answer them as soon as I can_

 **;;;**

 **A/N: There it is. Next chapter: Winter Break. I am on break right now, so hopefully I'll be able to work on this next chapter a lot and have it to you sooner than the last one. Tell me what you thought in the reviews and don't forget to like and follow!**

 **-Skulls-surround-suns**


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Hello again! I know, I know, it's been forever. I am really awful at this updating thing, am I? What can I say, I've been busy. I hope I am good enough at this writing thing to keep you interested. To Puttyesh, I know it has been forever, but I added in your hotsauce request. I know it probably wasn't what you were looking for, but I don't want Percy to get fired. To everyone else, enjoy!**

 **Thank you to my darling betas,** **A Samhildanach and Cipher032** **. I don't know where I would be without them.**

 **If you recognise, it it's not mine.**

Dating Percy wasn't actually that much different from being friends with Percy. They still went for small excursions that Percy liked to call "quests", except now during said excursions they exchanged kisses instead of longing glances (at least on Annabeth's part. She didn't know if Percy was as pathetic as her) (hint: he was). They still exchanged sassy banter, except instead of ending it with a mistakenly harsh remark, it ended with some heavy flirting (that made Piper wrinkle her nose in disgust whenever she happened to witness it).

Percy was even the same. Annabeth could barely imagine that time four and a half months ago when she thought she hated him. Well, hated was kind of a strong word for how she felt. Maybe irritated. Or _strongly disliked._ Either way, she couldn't even remember what it had been about. That he was loud? That he made stupid jokes and was flirtatious with everybody? The thing was, he was still loud. He still made stupid jokes and Annabeth realized that his flirting was just some sort of over the top friendliness. But none of that mattered to her anymore. In fact, she was starting to like it. When he would blurt out some far out idea in class she was happy to listen. When he made a pun and waggled his eyebrows at her she laughed. And when he "flirted" with other people it just reminded her of what his real flirting was and how with her, it was real. All of the things that bothered her before became incredibly endearing.

Of course he wasn't perfect, but neither was she. Sometimes he would just up and leave when they were all in a group or in class and not say anything to anyone, leaving her trying to track him down (usually he just went to the bathroom or decided to take a short walk to stretch his legs and didn't remember to tell anybody). And sometimes she would be working or studying (it was finals after all) and she would get into the zone and not respond to his texts or accidentally ignore his calls for hours. Neither of them was perfect, but that didn't matter. They were perfect for each other.

At least that's what Piper seemed to think:

"Oh my god, you guys are just so cute!" Piper's voice went high pitched at the end in a very not Piper-like way. She just couldn't stop talking about Annabeth's relationship. If Annabeth didn't know better she would say that Piper was living vicariously through her, but Piper was in a very nice and steady relationship with Jason. Most people didn't know this, but Piper flew to relationship drama like a moth to a flame. "You're perfect for eachother. Just so compatible. I mean, your personalities, the way you are together, even your appearance-"

"My appearance?"

"Yeah, you're blonde, he's brunette. Blonds and brunettes always work. It's the rule of the universe." Piper explained, waving her gloveless hands. Annabeth shivered. They were walking to the coffee shop to meet Percy and Leo, which wasn't that much of a walk, but felt much longer due to the cold. There was a fresh layer of snow coating the trees and the ground. Over the past few years of being at the college, Annabeth had become more used to the cold winter weather, but she was a california girl by heart (at least from seventh grade) and would never be completely comfortable in subzero temperatures.

"Maybe in the fiction universe. But this is real life, you couldn't know that it will work out. I'll just have to be myself and hope for the best." She said.

"Yeah, it'll all work out." Piper agreed. Annabeth grimaced.

"I just feel like everything is going to fall apart. Like I'm going to make a wrong move and he's going to hate me forever." Annabeth said.

"Oh please. That boy's arse over tits for you. You just need to communicate and be completely honest with each other." Piper gave Annabeth a pointed look. Annabeth shrugged it off and looked away.

"Yeah, yeah, I know you're right. No need to...whatever you're doing." She said, waving Piper off. She pulled open the glass door to the coffee shop and gestured with her hand.

"After you." She said.

"Thanks. And I'm being a good friend, is what I'm doing." Piper said pointedly, while walking through the door.

The coffee shop was bustling with an unusual amount of activity. There was a long line at the register and Annabeth could see Percy shuffling around back and forth between the machines behind the counter. A tall, tan woman with a long black braid was scowling as she dealt with customers, talking mostly with her hands, either waving the next person over or pointing people to the pick up counter. Annabeth had a feeling (influenced not only by the woman's sour expression, but als by the dark circles under her eyes) that she had been working for far too long.

As Annabeth and Piper went to stand in line the person in front of them turned, revealing the last part of the group meeting at the shop.

"Ladies!" Leo said, turning fully to greet them. "Fancy seeing you here."

Piper scoffed. She was friends with Leo through Jason, and although she pretended to be annoyed by his antics, Annabeth could tell that she thought them to be charming.

"Hey Leo." Annabeth greeted. How's it going."

"Well, it's gotten better since you two fine ladies showed up." He said, winking. Annabeth heard Piper whisper ' _Oh lord'_ under her breath.

"Wow, you're really turning up the...well, I don't think charm is the right word for it. Is it a special occasion?" Piper asked sarcastically. The first few customers had been waved to the side by the grumpy barista so the trio moved forwards.

"I guess...I'm just in a wonderful mood! How could someone as cool as me not feel spectacular?" He grinned, but Annabeth could see his eyes dart to her, as if gauging her reaction. Annabeth furrowed her eyebrows. She couldn't tell if he as overplaying his mood for her, so that she would forget the last time they were together at the golf course, or for the sake of Piper, and he was silently pleading her not to say anything. Whatever it was, it didn't seem like it would matter. Annabeth knew Leo better now, and she wouldn't forget, and anyways, Piper seemed to not notice, rolling her eyes at Leo's ridiculous explanation.

As they moved forward and the line got shorter Percy finally seemed to take notice of them. He send Annabeth a quick grin over the espresso machine before earning a glare from the grumpy lady and focussing on the matcha frappucino he was in the process of making. Finally, when Leo reached the front of the line, Percy tapped the grampy woman on the shoulder.

"Hey Reyna, I can take the next few. You should take, like, a five minute break. The lunch rush is almost over anyways."

Reyna nodded wearily, to tired to make any kind of argument before going to the back. Percy grinned down at Leop, obviously glad to see him.

"Hello customer that I don't know. What can I get you on this fine day?" He asked.

"It's cloudy." Annabeth pointed out, but neither Percy nor Leo, who was following Percy's charade, heard her. Piper snickered.

"Can you get me...something surprising. I want something special that is perfectly fit for a person as cool as me." Leo said, leaning on the counter in what Annabeth supposed was supposed to be "suave".

Percy seemed to think for a second before grinning. "Got it." He said, scribbling on a cup. He drew up the total and Leo handed him a few dollars and moved to the side to wait for Annabeth and Piper.

"Pipes! How's it going?" Percy asked. They had gotten close through Jason, and a bit through Annabeth, and although they weren't best friends, they did seem to get along pretty well.

"It's alright. I'm super stressed about finals. How 'bout you?" Piper asked. A customer from behind them groaned and Piper rolled her eyes. Percy gave them a sheepish expression before answering.

"It's fine, fine. Stressed of course. Uhhh, what could I get you?"

"Can I have aaaaa… I think a matcha frappe founds pretty good." She said. Percy took out another cup and wrote her order in it.

"Will you two be paying together?"

Before Piper could respond, Annabeth stepped in. "No, we'll be ordering separately."

"Alright." Percy punched in Pipers order, his tongue sticking out of his mouth as he concentrated. Piper moved off to the side and started a conversation with Leo, trying to guess what Percy was going to make for him. Annabeth could hear Leo speculate that Percy would add gold dust to fit his rich personality while Piper guessed it would just be a cup filled with dirt. Annabeth snorted. She really hoped that Leo didn't take everything that Piper said to heart. She hoped he realized that she was joking and that she really thought the world of him.

"So," Percy said, grinning down at Annabeth.

"So." She responded, smiling back up at him.

"Do you think it would be inappropriate if we kissed over the counter?" He asked her, wiggling his eyebrows.

"I don't think your boss, or any of the other customers would like that very much." She responded. " But...I wouldn't mind."

Percy looked shocked. "Really?"

"Yeah." Annabeth said shyly.

"Okay."

"Okay." Annabeth repeated, grabbing the collar of his shirt and pulling him into a kiss. It was slightly awkward and their teeth clacked together, but Annabeth could feel Percy smiling into their kiss and she smiled in return.

"Oh my god, I should have known that as soon as we turn around you two would be doing some kind of gross couple shit." Piper groaned, forcing Percy and Annabeth to separate. Percy straightened up, adjusting his now wrinkled shirt collar. Annabeth cleared her throat and sent a smugly grinning Piper a good natured glare.

"Uh, what can I- what can I get you?" Percy asked.

"I'll have a chai latte." Annabeth said. Percy grinned.

"What a surprise."

"Oh shove off." Annabeth sid. "What do I owe you?"

"It's on me." Percy said.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah, of course. Now I've got some drinks to make." Percy glanced behind her. "We seemed to have held up the line a bit." He added sheepishly before heading off to make their drinks. Annabeth moved to the side to join Piper and Leo. She noticed that Reyna had come back from her short break, smacking Percy on the back of his head for holding the line up and taking her place back at the register.

"You guys are so gross." Leo said to Annabeth.

"Yeah, sickeningly sweet." Piper added.

"I think we're cute." Annabeth pouted. "And I know you think we are. You said we were a few days ago." Annabeth told Piper.

"Yeah, well, I regret it now that I'm face to face with it."

Annabeth rolled her eyes.

"Leo, Piper and Annabeth!" Percy called from the counter, setting their drinks down. The group grabbed their drinks and moved to the soft chairs by the fireplace to wait for Percy to go on his lunch break.

"So? What is it?" Piper asked Leo excitedly. He took a big swig of his rink and swished it around his mouth.

"Hmmm. I can't tell. It just kind of tastes normal."

"Man, I thought Percy would do something more interesting-"

Piper was interrupted when Leo's eyes suddenly bugged out and he quickly took the lid off of his cup and spat his coffee back into his drink.

"Ewww…" Annabeth muttered as Leo ran to get some water. Percy came over and sat in Leo's previous seat.

"What did you do to it?" Annabeth asked him.

"You'll see." He winked.

Leo came back over and punched Percy in the shoulder before taking the seat next to him.

"You are a cruel man." Leo panted. Percy laughed a loud and boisterous laugh.

"Oh my god! What did he do?" Piper asked.

"This...asshole... put fucking….hotsauce…. in my coffee." Leo said. Percy continued laughing.

Piper wrinkled her nose. "That's super gross."

"Don't worry man," Percy said, patting Leo on the back as he managed to calm down. "I'll repay you. Do you wanna stop by my mom's shop during my break?"

Leo as quickly swayed by the promise of candy. "Yeah sure."

"I can get you some Hot Tamales." Percy added. Leo shoved him and Percy started laughing again.

The group left the coffee shop and moved down the street in the direction of Percy's mum's sweets shop.

"Is it ever weird that you and your mum work on the same street?" Annabeth asked Percy. She couldn't imagine working in the same city as one of her parents, nonetheless working on the same street.

"No, not at all. I mean, I love my mom, so if anything it's made working here better. Sometimes she stops in and brings a bag of blue jelly beans or something and sometimes I bring her coffee. It works really well." He explained.

"Hmmm. That seems nice." Annabeth said softly.

"Hey Percy, how much candy are you willing to buy for me?" Leo asked, stepping in line with Percy as they reached the shop.

"Two things. The rest you pay for yourself."

"Ahh, score." Leo exclaimed running deeper into the store.

"He's like a little kid." Piper commented.

"In a candy shop." Percy added.

"Yeah." Piper paused for a second. " I'll go supervise." She said, walking towards where Leo disappeared to.

"Well," Percy breathed, clapping his hands together, "I guess it's just you and-"

"Oh Percy! I didn't know you were here." Ms. Jackson appeared from a door labeled **STAFF ONLY.**

"Mom," Percy greeted. "How's it been?" Annabeth liked how he never seemed unhappy to see his mother. Even if she came at the wrong time, Percy was always happy to see her. For Sally Jackson, there was no wrong time to him.

"It's been too long. How is it that even though we live in the same town, we never see each other. You should swing by more." She scolded good naturedly. "Did you know this boy hasn't checked in on his mother in two weeks?" This was directed at Annabeth. Annabeth, who hadn't called, nevermind checked in on her mother since, well, thanksgiving. _That actually wasn't that long ago._ The point was that Annabeth didn't check in on her mother.

"How indecorous." Annabeth said, a hint of a smirk in her tone. Percy knew her family situation and would understand the irony.

"Ooh, SAT term." Percy teased back.

"I'm trying to widen my vocabulary."

"I think your vocabulary is widened enough." He said, his voice filled with mirth. Ms. Jackson looked between them with wide eyes.

"Wait….are you two finally together?" She asked.

"What?!" Percy spluttered, while Annabeth said "Yes."

"Knew it." Ms. Jackson said crossing her arms smugly.

"Wait, wait," Percy said putting his hand up. "How did you know. I never said anything about the...stuff going on."

"Mother's intuition." She said, tapping her forefinger to her temple.

"Really?"

"No, well, I mean, a little bit, but I knew because of how much you talked about her. This boy would just not stop talking 'bout you." She said, the last part directed at Annabeth. Annabeth nudged Percy.

"Is that right?" She teased.

"Maybe I brought you up a few times." He said without looking at her.

"Awww. Touching." Leo said, joining the group. "Does this count as two things?" He asked, lifting up a massive box of redvines and a bag full to the brim of jelly bellies. Percy grimaced.

"Yeah, I guess. Mom, can I ring him up?"

"Yeah, go ahead." Ms. Jackson said, waving him towards the cash register. Percy walked to the front counter, ushering Leo and his candy to follow him.

"Soo, what are we talking about?" Piper asked, breaking the temporary silence.

"How much Percy talks about Annabeth." Ms. Jackson said. "It's a lot."

"Oh my god, I'm sure it's nothing compared to how much Annabeth talks about Percy. She never shuts up about him." Piper laughs.

" _Piper!"_

"Sorry Annabeth, you do." Piper shrugged. Annabeth could tell she was not sorry at all.

"Okay. This is embarrassing. I'm going to go join Percy. And Leo. Also Leo."

Piper laughed and Ms. Jackson's eyes shined with amusement. Annabeth couldn't help smiling, but she huffed anyways to seem like she was annoyed before going to the register.

"Hey." Percy said. Annabeth leaned on the counter and watched Piper and Ms. Jackson laughing with their heads together.

"They're taking the piss." Annabeth commented. Percy and Leo followed her gaze.

"Has anyone ever told you that the way you speak is kind of weird?" Leo asked. Annabeth shrugged.

"I like it." Percy said.

"Well of course you like it. You like her." Leo pointed out. "Not that I have a problem with it."

Annabeth shrugged again. Then she grabbed a lollipop off the stand on the counter.

"I'll buy this." She said, handing Percy a dollar. He took another dollar out of his pocket and put them both in the cash register before grabbing a lollipop and joining her across the counter. They opened their lollipops while Leo tossed a handful of Jelly Beans into his mouth.

"Maybe we should just leave them to talk." Leo said, gesturing his bag towards Piper and Ms. Jackson in the middle of the room.

"That seems like-"

"-a terrible idea." Annabeth finished. She shuddered at the thought of Piper telling Ms. Jackson just how much she has gone on about Percy and exactly what "gone on" entitles.

"That was weird." Leo said, pointing at Percy and then at Annabeth. "You two literally finished each other's sentence."

Percy held out his hand for a high five. Annabeth obliged.

"Seriously though, I've seen both my mother and Piper in action and not to say I'm scared about what they'll find out, but I'm scared about what they'll find out."

"The teasing would never stop." Annabeth muttered.

"Oh, jeez, you guys, I'll go." Leo strode towards the two ladies waving his free hand over his head. "Hey beauty queen! We better go, my candy's getting cold." He called.

Piper put her hands on her hips. "Leo, candy doesn't get-"

"Mmmhmm," He agreed, threading his arm through Piper's. "Bye Ms. Jackson!"

"It's Sally to you, Leo." Ms. Jackson said in response.

"Our hero." Annabeth whispered to Percy as he snickered in response. "Thanks Ms. Jackson." Annabeth said as they passed her.

"I'm Sally to you too, Annabeth." Ms. Jac-Sally, said. Annabeth smiled and let Percy pull her out of the store.

"Leo!" Percy said around his lollipop, clapping Leo on the back. "Our savior!" Leo laughed as Percy slung his arm around his shoulders.

"I didn't tell her _that_ much." Piper said to Annabeth.

"I know." Annabeth said. Piper was a good friend.

"He's a pretty great guy." Piper nodded towards where percy was trying to steal one of Leo's blue Jelly Bellies. Annabeth knocked shoulders with her.

"I know."

;;;

These days Annabeth's life seemed to follow a strict pattern. Wake up, study, final, study, Percy, study- and repeat. She wouldn't even say sleep was part of her schedule; she just seemed to drift off some time around three in the morning surrounded by a sea of papers and books while her laptop lost battery on top of her. Every day in the past week was quite a lot like the other, and today was no exception. She had just finished her math final and before she had even opened the door to her dorm she was pulling out the notes for her next one at 11.00 tomorrow. It was exhausting times like this that made her wish her timer would just call it already.

No. That wasn't true. Annabeth sighed. _Bad joke._

Before Annabeth could even start studying for her architecture final and add the last finishing touches to her Urban Design final project, someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Annabeth called. She didn't want to move and mess up the perfect placement of her papers. All of her friends knew how busy studying she was, so it was probably just a wrong door.

"Annabeth?"

Nope, not a wrong door.

"Annabeth, can I come in?" Percy's voice came through the door again. Annabeth sighed. She was happy to see him, but she would have to get up.

"Yeah, just a second, it's locked." She said, carefully shifting her books off of her and plodding over to the door.

"Come on in." She said, pulling it open and walking back into the room, not caring to look back and see if he was following her. She sat back on her bed, pulling her blanket back over herself. Percy jumped onto the bare bed on the opposite side of the room.

"Y'know, I don't think I've ever been in here before." He said, looking around the room. Annabeth nodded blurrily, looking around as well. She was too tired to be embarrassed about her overflowing trash bin and the clothing gathering at the bottom of her closet and in various places on the floor. It wasn't even late- a glance at her watch told her that it was only seven thirty, and yet it felt later than midnight.

"Okay, well, I'm going to be working on my final project. I really need to finish this, so you can stay if you want, but like...yeah." Annabeth said, not bothering to finish her sentence. Percy would know what she was talking about.

She could feel him scrutinizing her as she tried to find where she left off on double checking her facts in the project. She jumped when she felt his hands on her book, tugging it away from her.

"No you're not." He said softly.

"Percy, you don't understand, I have to get this done, it's due on thursday- that's tomorrow! And my final, I-"

"Annabeth, you're working yourself to death. You look like-uh, I mean, you still look beautiful," he coughed and then muttered under his breath "you always look beautiful," and then continued at his normal volume "but you just don't look like yourself."

Annabeth chose to ignore him. "I still have to get this done. Once this week is over it'll be the holiday and it'll be fine, but I just have to get through this-"

"Annabeth, stop." Percy said. "Annabeth went quiet. "I understand that you need to get this done. I do. But you just came from your what, city planning final-"

"Math."

"Yeah, your math final, like, forty five minutes ago. Let's make a deal. You take a break, watch one movie with me-your choosing, and then you can get back to working. I'll get you some food, make you some tea." Percy nudged her aside on the bed and sat next to her. "What do you say?"

Annabeth considered it. She _was_ really tired and she felt like her brain was stuffed with cotton balls. She considered the concern lacing Percy's voice.

"Yeah, okay." She sighed, giving in. She scooted over, letting Percy move some of her work aside to sit more comfortably. "I'm going to fall asleep." She said, letting him know.

"That's okay. I'll wake you up at the end of the movie. It'll probably be good if you do. You can't work off of determination alone."

"Hmph." Annabeth grunted, pulling up a movie. Percy ran his hands through her hair as she settled into his chest as the beginning of Sixteen Candles began to play.

;;;

" _I can't believe it. They forgot my birthday."_ Molly Ringwald's character Sam said disbelievingly from the small screen perched on Percy's lap.

"Y'know, my family forgot my birthday once." Annabeth said.

"No." Percy said. At Annabeth's look he said "Seriously?"

"Mhmm."

"Which one?" He asked, sitting up a little to look at her.

"Which family or which birthday?" Annabeth asked with a grin. There was something kind of sadistically fun about telling people about her fucked up childhood.

"Both."

"Dad's family and tenth birthday." She said.

"Wow. That really sucks." Percy said. Both of them were silent for a minute, watching as Sam watched Jake in moony eyed adoration.

"So, uh," Percy started. Annabeth shifted to look at him. "What are you doing over the break for christmas?" He asked. Annabeth wondered at the seemingly random change of subject, but then remembered Percy's suggestion to get in touch with her family again. She scrunched her eyebrows up, but then turned back to the screen and smoothed out her expression to make it seem like she wasn't fazed. She knew Percy knew she was though.

"Nice transition," She said sarcastically, hoping it didn't come out mean. "8/10."

Percy huffed a small laugh under his breath. "No, but seriously. Maybe you want to see if they will be willing to welcome you back in. Or maybe you ready to welcome them back."

Annabeth reached for Percy's hand and fiddled with his fingers anxiously. She really didn't like the topic of her family. Everyone always asked her how she felt about them, about everything. She didn't like not having an answer.

"I'll think about it." She said. She knew that was the same thing she said last time, but she didn't know what else to say.

"I-I know what it's like, y'know. It's hard deciding how you feel about everything right now. But you don't need to. Not yet, maybe not ever." He said. Annabeth brought his knuckles to her mouth and kissed the tops of them. She hoped that that communicated how grateful she was of him that he said that.

"It was worse than missing my birthday." She said. Percy nodded to show her that he was listening, even though he wasn't looking at her. "It wasn't so much my dad as it was my step mother. She didn't know how to handle a...problem child. And my dad, well, he never did anything bad, but he never did anything to stop her. I think that hurt worse."

Percy moved his free hand through Annabeth's hair. It was such a comforting gesture that she felt herself begin to relax.

"You don't have to forgive or forget. But maybe seeing them again might help you decide how to feel." Percy said. They both seemed to deem that the end of the conversation and so they turned back to the movie.

But Annabeth's mind was on deeper things. She was thinking about her father. She was so used to the one perspective she was used to thinking of him as- him turning the other eye as his wife would criticize Annabeth excessively. Him ignoring Annabeth and telling her that she was wrong when she would repeat some of the things that her stepmother said while he wasn't around. Him never taking her side, never believing her, and never caring.

She tried to remember him under another light. Her dad, the history professor assembling world war two model planes with her and showing her the fun of peeling the glue off of her hands. Her father, avid bird watcher, taking her to Crissy Fields off of San Francisco bay to spot cormorants diving beneath the waves. Her father, listening to her talk about Frank Lloyd Wright and making the drive all the way to the Marin Civic Center to let her see some of his work.

She knew that she didn't have to forgive. She certainly wouldn't forget. But maybe, just maybe, she would try to see him through more than one lens. People weren't two dimensional, even her father.

She considered what Percy said. That seeing him again would help her decide how she feels. Maybe it would.

She was tired of her world being filled with maybes.

;;;

It was barely a conscious decision. Really Annabeth had nothing better to do over break. An email never seems as drastic as it really is.

It's much more anxiety inducing to get one back.

 _Christmas_

 _Frederick Chase .mobile_

 _Hello Annabeth_

 _It is so nice to hear from you. It has been so long and we all miss you so much. How has college been?_

 _We would love if you came to stay with us over the break. We are at the same residence as before, but if you have trouble remembering how to get there then I'll send you our address. I understand that you are a student, so we can pay for your flights here and back. Just let us know when you are planning on coming over so we can get the tickets and move some stuff to accommodate you. I'm afraid Bobby is in your old room, but we can make him just stay with your brother while you are here._

 _I hope to see you soon,_

 _Dad_

It was pitiful how even that made a sob catch in Annabeth's throat. She blinked back a few stupid tears that threatened to fall and typed her reply.

 _Christmas_

 _Me achase_

 _Would the 22nd work? And then I could stay until the 29th?_

 _I remember how to find home._

 _-Annabeth_

She had to retype _home_ to read _the house. Home_ sounded like she missed it. Maybe she did. That's what she was going to find out.

It didn't feel real until she pressed send. She was glad she didn't cry, even though she felt like it. She was in the student center and she wanted to preserve at least a little bit of her dignity. She thought of calling Piper, but remembered that she was in her last final. Percy? No, he was busy packing to spend the holidays in New York with his mum. They had gotten a hotel room and were planning on visiting the places he had grown up in.

It was okay though. Because Annabeth was okay. This was a step forward. She was growing, becoming more mature and getting over her past. This was a good thing.

Annabeth took a deep breath and tried to convince herself that it was true.

 **A/N: Kind of a filler chapter here. Next one: expect a little bit of angst, but mostly a (realistic) tour guide of San Francisco and of Annabeth's past. Please favorite, follow and most of all, review. Remember, I listen to what you ask for and love adding tidbits that people will request (although I won't change the whole plot). I rely on y'all to keep me writing. As always,**

 **Love,**

 **skulls-surround-suns**

 **p.s: I am changing the ages a bit now that I understand college a bit better. From now on instead of Annabeth being 24 and dying at 25 she is 22 and dying at 23.**


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Hey y'all, how's it going? I hope you like this chapter~**

 **To answer some comments given to me about my politics- this is my writing. I'm not writing for you, I'm writing for me. You are consuming this content for free. I'm not going to censor my political views just because you don't agree with them.**

 **Also- I know if I don't say this I'll have people all up in the comments saying '** _ **oh, but Annabeth's Swedish'-**_ **binch, you don't think I know this? In this fic I made her and her father Finnish and more connected to their culture because 'write what you know', ya know? This is my culture and I've had an experience very similar to Annabeth's in the story (much worse, but similar). Again, this isn't for you- it's for me. If you don't like it, you can fuck right off**

 **Thanks again to my amazing beta** **Cipher032**

 **~enjoy~**

Annabeth couldn't remember the last time she had stepped foot in this airport. Coming down in the plane and seeing the San Francisco Bay before bumpily landing at SFO was an experience of itself, but this- this was something else. The last time she had been here...well, the last time she had been here had not been under such good circumstances.

Annabeth shook her head and tried not to think about it. _This is about new starts. Second chances._

The San Francisco International Airport was almost exactly as she remembered it. Big, airy...kinda cold. Like most airports. The last time she had been here the art exhibition had been about basket weaving. Now it was about shoes. She took her bag from the baggage claim and hurried into the cold drizzle.

Annabeth hailed a cab.

"1633 Fulton and Grove, please." Annabeth told the cab driver, a middle age woman with dark hair. The lady nodded and Annabeth got into the cab after putting her bags in the trunk.

The drive from South San Francisco to her old childhood home was mostly uneventful. The cabbie kept trying to start a conversation with Annabeth about how "Uber drivers were soon gonna take her job", but although Annabeth was sympathetic, she didn't care enough, nor have the current mental capacity to participate in the conversation. Instead she stared out of the car window at the buildings passing outside. Everything was so familiar, and yet at the same time not.

She arrived at the house all too soon.

It was very much as she had remembered it. She hadn't _really_ expected it to change, but in some ways, she had. And in some ways, _it_ had. She wasn't sure if the house had changed or maybe just her feelings towards it.

It was three stories tall, but what it had in height if lacked in width. Like most houses in San Francisco, it was tall and thin, and _long-_ going back almost twice as much as any of the places she saw where she lived now. There was no front or back yard to speak of. That was nearly impossible to find in this part of town, and if you did it was nearly impossible to afford. There were six windows in the front, build in the style of Victorian Italianate. She looked at the window on the third story- the top right. That used to be her bedroom. She wondered what it was now.

She paid the taxi driver and thanked her, a little bit guiltily for not being the most personable customer. She had a few things on her mind. The driver helped her get her bags out of the trunk before getting back into the taxi and driving away.

 _This is it._ Annabeth thought. _There's no turning back now._

She climbed the front steps and raised her hand to knock on the tan and white door. _One breath in. One breath out._

The door swung open as soon as she knocked. Her stepmother smiled down at her.

"Annabeth! I'm so glad you're here." She said cheerfully. She didn't try to hug Annabeth, something Annabeth was very grateful of. "Frederick is in the living room with the boys. Come on in!"

"Thanks Amy." Annabeth said. Amy moved into the house, allowing Annabeth to step through the door. The house was comfortably messy; the kind of house that looks lived in. Where legos once littered the floor, there were 20 sided dice and hastily stacked piles of textbooks. Something that made Annabeth's mouth start to water was cooking in the kitchen and she could hear laughter from where she guessed the living room still is.

"Amy dear, is that Annabeth?" She heard a familiar voice call. It felt like a punch to the gut. For a moment she couldn't breath. She hadn't spoken to her dad in years, not where she could hear his voice anyways. When she was younger she hadn't noticed, but now she can hear the faintly scandinavian accent in his voice that her friends always used to point out to her. Finnish. While her mother had been greek, her father had been from Finland, while the rest of his side was from Sweden.

"Frederick, come out here and say hello to your daughter." Amy said. Annabeth heard several pairs of rushed footsteps coming her way. Her dad- Frederick- came first.

"Oh, Annabeth!" He said, going in for a hug. As he wrapped his arms around her Annabeth could smell his cologne, the same kind he had been wearing for years. Annabeth didn't know what to do with her arms, so she carefully draped them over his shoulders. For some reason she felt like she should be crying (her dad certainly was), but she couldn't seem to tear up.

"How you've grown!" Frederick said, taking a step back from her. He held her at the shoulders while he looked her up and down. She squirmed under his uncomfortable gaze. "My girl's all grown up now." He said, softly. "You're such a beautiful young woman."

"Oh Fred, stop. You're embarrassing her." Amy said. Annabeth gulped. Everything was so overwhelming all of the sudden. Seeing everyone again- they were the same and at the same time different. She couldn't help to notice the grey in her father's hair, the lines on his forehead, the crow's feet around his eyes. It was all so much to take in. She didn't know what to feel- she was being drowned by her own emotions.

More footsteps. Two more people entered the foyer.

"Bobby. Matthew." Annabeth whimpered. _Oh lord. Here come the waterworks._ Annabeth thought, as she began to tear up.

"Hi Annabeth," The taller of the twins, Bobby, said.

Annabeth sniffled. "You two have grown up so much." She said. The last time she had seen them they had been seven or eight- still playing with legos and still having 'playdates' with their friends. They were probably calling it 'hanging out' by now. Maybe they were even be able to might even be _dating._

"Oh, stop, you sound just like dad." Matthew said with a lisp. Annabeth noticed he had a retainer. While Bobby and Matthew looked very similar- same straight, black hair and wide cheekbones that they got from their mum and same green-blue eyes they got from their dad- they still found ways to be individual about it. Bobby had styled his hair with gel- the front sticking up in the ridiculous ways teenage boys had been recently doing it, while Matthew had shaved the sides and back. Matthew had even gotten his _ears pierced._ How he had gotten permission to do that was a mystery to Annabeth, but she didn't doubt that Amy played some part in the decision making.

"I can't help it. It's just- you guys-" Annabeth couldn't even tell why she was crying. She had never been especially close to either one of them. They were six years younger than her and she had always felt some sort of unspoken separation from them. But now, nine years later ( _God, had it really been nine years_ ), here they were.

"God, she's crying isn't she?" Bobby said, but his voice sounded less judgemental and more affectionate.

"We'll take your stuff upstairs to your room." Matthew said, lifting up one of Annabeth's bags. "We kept most of the stuff the same, but we did take a few of your posters and stuff down. It's a guest room now, although the only guests we ever have are Aunt Natalie and Uncle Randolph.

"And I'll get dinner finished up and on the table. I did something I remember was one of your old favorites. I hope you still like it." Amy said.

"I'll help set the table dear." Frederick said. "Annabeth, you just get yourself situated. We'll have dinner in about ten minutes."

"Okay." Annabeth said. Once her dad had gone to the dining room, she began climbing up the steep stairs to her room. Once she got there, she was very grateful to see that Bobby and Matthew were gone and she was alone. She needed a little time by herself to give her thoughts the time to catch up with her feelings.

She was...overwhelmed. That was the only way to describe it. And… confused. Everyone was different than she remembered- and not just with the obvious things. Amy was much nicer. Sweet, actually. Annabeth remembered her as hostile, scary- but now she was anything but. And her father- she remembered him as being so wrapped up in his work. No time for his kids, least of all her. Annabeth couldn't tell if this was a change and they had both become better parents over time, of if she had just been wrong. They had always been like this. Annabeth just couldn't tell.

So she decided to text the one person she could always count on to be there for her.

 **A- Hey Pipes, just got to my house**

 **A- its... wow. Its a lot**

Piper didn't respond right away. She didn't remember the time difference- maybe three or four hours? It shouldn't he that late over there. Annabeth chastised herself. _Piper's life doesn't revolve around you._

So she texted someone else she could always count on.

 **A- Hey, just got to the house**

 **A- you were right, it is much different**

Unlike Piper, Percy responded right away.

 **P- good different or bad different**

 **P- and im glad you r safe**

 **A- good difference**

 **A- but weird**

 **P- weird isnt bad**

 **P- how so**

 **A- never said it was**

 **A- they're just...not how i remember them. At all. Im just kind of overwhelmed**

 **P- im sorry. Annything i could do to help**

 **A- idk**

 **A- just talk to me. Send me cute photos. And be there for when i inevitably have a coming home mental breakdown**

 **P- will do**

Annabeth heard Amy call for dinner. She sighed.

 **A- I've got to go. Talk later?**

 **P- Talk later**

 **P- love ya**

Annabeth blushed and closed her phone. She tried not to think too much into that (it didn't work).

;;;

"See, I've had gold highlights for so long and I just grew so tired of them, so when I moved to the new hairdresser, Frederick, you know Mrs. Huang, well, she told me to get _red_ highlights. And now I feel like a completely different person. It's wonderful." Amy said. Annabeth pushed her _luo han zhai_ around her plate. It _was_ one of her favorites, but she wasn't really feeling it tonight. Although Amy had no problem keeping the conversation flowing (talking about everything from the recent low crabbing economy in the area to her new red highlights), there was an underlying tension that was nearly tangible.

"That's wonderful, dear. They look beautiful." Her dad said. The only one not bored with the conversation topics was Frederick. He was fully engaged, smiling as his wife talked about this and that. Annabeth hadn't noticed it before, but now that she was older, she could tell how well they were together.

"Mom, I don't think Annabeth wants to hear about your highlights." Bobby said. He had already cleared his plate and was piling on second helpings.

"Oh, of course," Amy said, smiling and shaking her head. "How is school Annabeth? Still getting good marks?"

Annabeth blushed under everyone's attention. Her leg jiggled nervously. "Uh, well, a few A's here and there." She said. Although she was smart (very smart, according to an IQ test she was forced to take in her Sophomore year of highschool), she had never gotten _good marks_. Sure she had a few A's in the classes she really cared about, but she was a mostly B student (with a C in Biology that she had never shone her mother, the Harvard alum). She did well in the classes she cared about, but she couldn't concentrate in any of the others. The fact that Amy didn't know this really cemented in how little they knew each other and how long Annabeth had been gone.

"That's good. College is hard." Her dad said. "How do you like it up in New England? I know you lived with your mother in New York for a few years, but you're a California girl at heart. It's not too cold up there for you?"

"Nope. I mean, I've lived there for almost ten years…" Annabeth trailed off. Had it really been that long?

"Of course, of course. I always loved it up there. The seasons. Y'know, Harvard was especially beautiful in the fall." Her dad interjected.

Annabeth was silent. She never knew what to say when her dad started talking about his college years.

"But of course San Francisco is amazing." He continued. "I mean, you do get the fog every once in awhile, but it's simply beautiful. And you can pop over to Marin, the headlands for some hiking or to Sausalito. Annabeth, you remember Sausalito, don't you?"

She nodded.

"When you're here we're gonna have to go to all of our old haunts. Sausalito, Le Musee de Mecanique, the botanical gardens- y'know, Matthew just took his boyfriend to the Japanese Tea garden on a date last weekend-"

"Not boyfriend- _significant other."_ Matthew corrected.

"Of course, and I told him, Matthew, you're not going to see many flowers- it's the middle of winter! But he thought it would be romantic, so...who am I to argue?" Her dad shrugged his shoulders. Annabeth turned to Matthew.

"You have a significant other?" She asked.

"Yeah," Matthew said self consciously. "Their name is Aspen. I go to school with them."

"That's really cool. Bobby, what about you? Do you have someone?" She asked. It was hard to imagine her brothers dating- the last time she had seen them..god, they were so small.

"No...I don't." Bobby said.

Matthew elbowed him. "But he's asked out Armani three times!" He said, laughing.

"Hey!" Bobby complained.

"Is this Armani Okafor?" Amy asked.

"It's no one!" Bobby said, his face completely red. "Why don't we talk about Annabeth's love life! She's the one we haven't seen in forever!"

Annabeth cringed. _Oh god. Not this._ The attention of the table turned to her. She took a bite of bamboo shoot to avoid talking.

"Yeah, Annabeth, are you seeing anyone?" Her dad asked. "Last time I talked to your mom she said that you were with this guy Luke?"

Annabeth chose to ignore the fact that apparently her dad talked to her mum about her. _That's a problem for another time._ She thought. _Although, I guess it is nice that he's been checking up on me?_ "Actually, Luke and I broke up. A while ago. Maybe a month or two?" She said.

"Oh, why?" He seemed like such a nice guy, at least according to your mom's descriptions." Said Amy. _Okay, apparently my dad_ and _Amy were talking to my mum about me._ It made sense that Luke sounded like a nice guy to them. Annabeth's mum had only ever met him in passing. Those few experiences along with the lovestruck descriptions Annabeth had given her at the start of their relationship was all she was going on.

"Um, well, he turned out to not be the kind of guy I thought he was." Annabeth said. Short and simple. No need to really go into it.

"And there's no second chance for him?" Amy asked, leaning forward. Annabeth bristled. Amy seemed nice, but the more Annabeth talked to her the most it seemed she liked hearing about other people's business, especially if it was drama.

Annabeth's dad laughed awkwardly. "Amy dear, I think maybe this isn't a subject Annabeth wants to talk about." He said, putting a hand on his wife's shoulder.

"Of course." Amy said, leaning back into her chair. "Annabeth, you don't have to share anything you don't want to. I know I can be pretty nosy, and if I start to pry just let me know." Amy said.

"That's for sure." Annabeth heard Bobby whisper to Matthew. Matthew snickered.

"Yeah, sure." Annabeth said. She didn't know what else to say. She thought it was quite mature of Amy to say that, though.

"Say, Annabeth...Do you have anyone else in your life?" Amy asked. Her dad raised his eyebrow in interest.

Annabeth blushed. "Um, yeah. Kind of. There's this guy and we've been...dating. We were friends first and then, well, stuff happened."

"What kind of stuff?" Amy asked, at the same time as Matthew asked "What's his name?" Annabeth chose to answer Matthew's question.

"His name is Percy. He's...he's really great." Annabeth couldn't help but smile.

"Awww, Annabeth's blushing." Bobby teased.

"Shut up." Annabeth said through her smile. Bobby laughed and she couldn't help but join original awkwardness and tension was gone, but Annabeth still expected something to happen that would shatter this delicate amiability that they had established. She couldn't lie to herself and say that she was perfectly comfortable- she couldn't look at Amy or her dad for too long before something negative began to cloud her brain and climb up her throat. It felt more like talking with a friend's parents than it did reuniting with family. She just felt so _out of place._

"Well, it seems like everyone is done with their food." Amy said. "Bobby, Matthew, could you collect plates?"

Matthew and Bobby agreed with a huff and began collecting the plates from the table and began putting the leftovers in tupperware containers.

"I hope you liked it." Amy said.

"I did." Annabeth replied politely. "It was really good."

"I'm glad."

"Amy has been taking cooking classes in Chinatown for a few months." Her dad said.

"Haha, yeah, I've always just loved cooking and so I'm trying to learn to cook some more traditional Chinese dishes. Get back to my roots, y'know, like my mom used to make. I'm only a first generation citizen, so I still remember a lot of things from my mom, but a lot of other people completely forget everything. It's important to keep culture going through the generations. That's why I'm teaching Matthew and Bobby how to cook Chinese food. Plus after so many years of making spaghetti, it feels good to make Chow Mein."

Annabeth laughed with Amy before saying "That's really admirable."

Amy's eyes crinkled when she smiled. "Thank you, Annabeth."

"Isn't it. I'm so proud of her." Frederick said, wrapping his arms around his wife and kissing the top of her head. Annabeth smiled, but it turned into a yawn.

"Oh Annabeth, you must be so tired. It's what? Past midnight over where you live. You should get to bed."

"Thank you. I think I will. Thank you for dinner. It was really...nice." Annabeth said, getting up from her chair.

"Goodnight Annabeth." Her dad said. " _Hyvää yötä._ Botanical gardens tomorrow?"

Annabeth nodded. The good night in Finnish hurt a bit- she remembered when he used to do that when she was little. She would respond with saying 'mina rakastan sinua'. I love you. Over time he had stopped saying it, stopped wishing her goodnight altogether. He stopped saying 'I love you' at about the time Annabeth started to believe he didn't. She smiled anyways though. "Good night." She said, before heading up the stairs to her room.

Annabeth really was tired-that was certainly true. Tired in more ways than one. She was physically tired, mentally tired and more than anything, emotionally tired. Processing everything she was feeling- from being home...well, she wasn't quite ready to call it home, to seeing her father, Amy and the boys, to not knowing if she had been wrong about them or if they had just changed, gotten better. Maybe they were just on their best behavior. Or maybe just living with Annabeth for too long was too difficult for them. Or too painful. (Annabeth could imagine it: CAUTION: LONG TERM EXPOSURE TO ANNABETH COULD LEAD TO BECOMING MANIPULATIVE, BITCHY, AND EMOTIONALLY ABSENT). Whatever it was, she was too tired to process it tonight- or alone. She picked up her phone and tent texts to Piper and Percy.

 **A- Just had dinner with my family. A lot to think about**

She didn't really expect a response. Piper wasn't going to stay in LA with her dad for a few days (she said she had wanted to spend a little bit of Winter Break where it was actually winter) and Percy had stayed with his mother near the university campus. Time differences were a bitch.

She closed her phone and laid it face down on the desk next to her bed. Rubbing her face she looked around her room. It looked the same as it had when she lived in it- just de-personalized. All of her poster- an illustrated map of the parthenon, The Breakfast Club, Rosie the Riveter- had all been taken down, leaving ugly dark squares where they had been. The pictures of her friends from San Francisco and from Camp had been taken down, although when Annabeth opened a drawer on the bedside table she found them bound together with a rubber band. She took them out and spread them across the bed. Some of the friends she recognised, although some of the people in the photos, even ones where they were side by side, arms thrown over shoulders, she couldn't remember. That was a sad thought. Annabeth had really distanced herself from them once she found out she was different. Once the pitying looks and the curious taps on her timer started. She regretted it now.

She stacked the photos together and put them back into the drawer. She opened the closet. All of her old clothes had been given away or packed up. It wouldn't have made sense to keep it. Inside were a few of her posters, rolled up. An award from a science fair she had participated in in third grade for third place. She had done the least sciency thing she could do- build a model of Pompeii and then create a paper mache volcano. It couldn't explode, but her buildings were so nicely designed and there had only been four people who participated and the person who got fourth had killed their goldfish after putting orange juice in it's tank, so it was more process of elimination than anything. Her father had still been proud, displaying it on the mantel for a year before it was replaced by pictures from his and Amy's wedding. Annabeth had been so bitter at the time…

Annabeth started to close the closet. Before she could, another shoebox that had rested on a shelf beyond her reach fell to the ground. It crashed open, sending pieces of paper everywhere. Annabeth bent to pick them up and turned one of them over. It was a picture of her and her dad and...and Amy. Amy had her arm wrapped around Annabeth and was leaning in, smiling at the camera. Annabeth was leaning into her dad and hugging a large Doberman Pinscher that had a small, red rubber ball in its mouth. Annabeth picked up another picture. This one was at the beach. Annabeth seemed the same age, about four or five, a year or two before Frederick and Amy got married. She recognised that place. Rodeo Beach, a small, rocky beach, where the sand was little pebbles and the water was never warm enough to swim in. She was sitting down in between her dad's legs, wearing a pink one piece that had little figures that looked like white hippos- the Finnish character Muumi. Amy was there, hugging Annabeth's dad. They all looked so happy. Annabeth couldn't even remember seeing her dad smile like that.

Annabeth felt tears begin to prickle her eyes. She sniffed and began hurriedly pushing the photos back into the shoebox. A knock at her door forced her to look up.

"Can I come in?" Amy's voice asked. Annabeth nodded, pushing the box back into the closet.

"Yeah, sure." She said, once she realised Amy couldn't see her. Amy came in slowly, smiling at Annabeth, and sat on the bed. She glanced behind Annabeth, and saw the box on the closet floor. Her head bowed in recognition. "Oh, Annabeth."

Annabeth sighed and sat down in the chair at her desk.

"Annabeth, I'm sorry for treating you so unfairly." Amy said.

 _Oh._ This wasn't what Annabeth had expected at all. She had expected Amy to ignore the past, try to move on like nothing had happened. That's what Annabeth thought she had been _doing._ But apparently not.

"I was going through a difficult time. That's not an excuse, I promise, I just want you to understand. I-I was going through a difficult time. I don't know if you know this, but I was married before Frederick. I also had a baby, but, uh," Amy wiped under her eyes before continuing, "She was born, and then they put her timer an and- and she only had three days. We only had three days together and that was it. After she- afterwards my husband and I split up. I think everyday I was a reminder to him of her- of our baby girl. And he was a reminder to me."

"Amy, I-"

Amy smiled blurrily at Annabeth. "Annabeth, I loved you, I really did. But it was too soon, it was too similar to- to her. And I was afraid. I was afraid that I would love you too much and after- after your twenty third birthday, Frederick and I-"

"Amy, it's-" Annabeth wanted to reassure the crying woman in front of her.

"No, it's not okay. I know that now. I pushed you away, I tried not to get too close and it meant I lost you too. It was too early, and...I'm sorry for that. After you...after you left I went to therapy. I've worked out some of my issues and I- I understand if you won't, but I'm hoping you'll forgive me." Amy said. She looked at Annabeth hopefully.

"I-" Annabeth thought back to all of the bitterness she had held onto for years. And all of the memories of Amy. Some were good. Most were bad. She knew what the 'right' thing was. It was 'right' to forgive her and move on. But Annabeth wasn't sure she could. Not now anyways. "I'll try. Thank you for saying all of this. And...I know there's not much time, but...maybe we start again? Not start over- just again."

Amy smiled. "Start again. I'd like that. Thank you Annabeth." She stood up and stretched. For a second Annabeth thought she would hug her, but she didn't, and Annabeth was relieved. "Okay. Goodnight for real now." Amy said.

Annabeth swiveled her chair around to watch her leave through the door. It closed softly behind her.

Annabeth headed back to the bed, laying down and listening to it creak. She sighed. That was...so much. This was so much. Everything was so familiar, and yet not. Every _one_ was so familiar, and yet not. It was like remembering something from a dream when you woke up. Memories slipped through her mind, jumbled and unclear. But some things- some things were just beginning to come into focus.

Annabeth turned off her light. Tomorrow would be clearer. She would think things through tomorrow.

;;;

Annabeth woke up to the smell of lemons. Lemonade. Lemon cake. Lemon tea. Lemon squares. _Lemon squares._ She sat up. In her childhood bedroom- her early childhood bedroom. San Francisco. Winter break. Four days, maybe five days from Christmas? And Amy standing in her bedroom doorway.

"Oh, Annabeth, sorry for waking you."

Annabeth rubbed her eyes groggily. "What time is it?" She asked.

"Ten? Maybe closer to eleven actually." Amy said.

"Oh, shit." Annabeth stumbled out of her bed. "We were supposed to leave at eleven."

"Oh, that's okay, I'm sure Frederick won't mind. Anyways, I brought you some lemon squares. I made them this morning. Fresh out of the oven."

Annabeth took the plate out of Amy's hands. "Thanks." _Lemon squares for breakfast?_ Even this was almost too far a stretch for Annabeth's Memories Amy and Real Amy. _She must be overcompensating for before._ "This is really nice. Thanks." Annabeth repeated. Amy smiled happily.

"I'll see you when you come downstairs. Matthew and Bobby are still asleep. _Teenagers."_ Amy shook her head. "Your dad is in his study. With his planes." She laughed and Annabeth laughed politely along.

"Okay," Annabeth said. "See ya."

Amy nodded and began her way downstairs. Annabeth got up and grudgingly closed the door which Amy had left open. Then she dragged herself back to her bed and picked up her phone. She had five texts, two from Piper and Three from Percy. She opened the ones from Piper first, because they were the most recent.

 **Piper- I bet**

 **Piper- How was it?**

She typed in a quick reply.

 **A- It was a lot different than i thought it would be**

 **A- they're different**

 **A- im going to the botanical gardens today with my dad**

Piper didn't respond right away, so Annabeth texted Percy.

 **Percy- How was it?**

 **Percy- How are you?**

 **Percy- I miss you.**

Attached to the last text was a picture of him and his mum in the candy shop. Annabeth could tell it had been decorated for Christmas from the snowflakes hanging above Percy and his mum and the garlands decorating the shelves in the background. Percy had his arm slung around Sally's shoulders and they were both smiling up at the camera that was held up by Percy's other hand. Annabeth smiled. She loved how much he loved his mum. It was really sweet.

 **A- Thats a really nice picture**

Then she sent the same thing to Percy that she sent to Piper.

 **A- I'm okay. Pretty tired, is many many ways. Today should be fun tho**

Percy responded right away.

 **P- That's great! I'm going sledding with Leo in a bit. I'll text you later.**

 **A- Text you later**

Annabeth put her phone into the pocket of her sweats and started to head downstairs. They creaked as she stepped on them and she winced. She remembered when she was younger and a creak meant getting caught by either her dad or Amy and then yelled at. She knew it wasn't like that anymore, but she was careful where she put her feet anyways.

The downstairs seemed empty. Annabeth noted that Amy's car was gone. She knew her dad was in his study, but she didn't feel like seeing him just yet. She went into the kitchen and opened up the fridge. It was stocked full of organic local vegetables and whole wheat bread. _Classic Bay area._ Annabeth grabbed cream cheese and a whole wheat bagel and a jar of capers. When the bagel was toasting she facetimed Piper. She waited for her face to pop up on the screen.

"Annabeth!" Piper's face appeared. She was bundled up in a huge jacket and a snow hat. Her cheeks were bright pink and her eyes sparkling.

"Hey Piper." Annabeth said, popping the bagels out of the toaster.

"How's it going?" Piper asked. She adjusted her phone and the screen stalled for a few seconds.

"It's alright. I just woke up, like, when I texted you. I'm making myself breakfast."

"Wow, haha, I forgot about the time difference and I thought you had woken up at like three or whatever. Haha."

Annabeth smiled as she swiped cream cheese over her bagel. She opened the jar of capers and took some of them out, pressing them into the cream cheese so they would stick. On the screen Piper wrinkled her nose.

"Uhg, I forgot you did that. That's so gross Annabeth."

Annabeth shrugged. "I like it." She took her bagel and sat down. "How is everything back home?"

"Oh, you know. Campus is mostly empty. I'm gonna be leaving soon. Back to Cali. Oh, Annabeth, you know the tree they've got in the quad near Stratton Hall? They've decorated it with lights and stuff like they do every year. It looks so good this year. I guess the drama department got a hand at the decorations because you will not believe…"

Annabeth listened to Piper talk about life back on campus. It was nice hearing about it, and although Annabeth was glad to be reuniting with her family, a part of her wished she was just spending time with Piper, Leo, Percy and maybe even Will and Nico back home.

"Okay, Piper, I think I actually have to go soon." She said, cutting Piper off as she started talking about the peppermint bark in the dining hall. "Thanks for talking."

"Of course! I miss you. I miss doing holidays with you, like last year. You're coming back in time for New Years, right?"

"Yeah, of course. I'll probably be back before that. I'm leaving the day after Christmas."

"Awesome. I'll call?"

"Definitely. Bye Piper."

"Bye Annabeth."

Piper's face disappeared off the screen. Annabeth closed her phone and sighed. _I guess it's time to get ready._ There wasn't really any reason to feel so much...dread? No, it wasn't dread, but it was something close. Something that settled in the pit of her stomach, persuading her to stay in, to say she is sick so she could shut the door, and the world, out.

Instead she went upstairs and got dressed (she can't remember the last time she wore a t-shirt outside in December), before heading downstairs and knocking on the door of her father's study.

"Come on in." She heard him say. She cracked open the door, revealing her father sitting at his desk, leaning over some documents, yellowed with age.

"Hey, sorry for waking up early. I just wanted to check in about-" She tripped over a stack of books, hopping around to regain her balance. "-the botanical garden." She finished, moving to a part of the room where she could escape the dangers of knocking books over or stepping on a model plane part _(they're worse than legos_ ).

"Be careful," Her father mutters absentmindedly.

"Err, Dad?"

That seems to bring him out of his intense focus. "Ahhh, yes, the botanical garden. We could leave in half an hour? I need to put these old documents away first, you know how it can be. It's a process. The university would be on my a- butt, if I so much as move a speck of dust on these."

Annabeth rolls her eyes. "You can swear around me. I'm 22."

"Yes, of course, I guess i'm just so used to Bobby and Matthew…"

"You can probably swear around them too."

Frederick frowns. "So, ten- eleven thirty about?"

"Sounds good. I'm ready to when you are."

"Okay, I'll just finish these-"

"Yeah, I'll wait in the living room."

Annabeth smiled lightly at the grateful look Frederick cast her. She went out to the living room and sat down, electing to pull out her phone and scroll absently through some social media site until Frederick came out.

;;;

They were able to walk to the gardens from the house. Unfortunately. After trying to ask her a bunch of questions about school and Annabeth responding in mostly one word answers, Frederick elected to just ramble about Bobby and Matthew and then when that subject was mostly worn out, he started to talk about his work. Apparently not much changed in the world of WW2 plane research.

When they got to the entrance to the gardens, Frederick refused to let Annabeth pay for herself, so she stood back and let him pay. She picked a four leafed clover out of a small patch of them. She wondered if the luck would still apply if all the clovers had four leaves. She hoped so.

"Here." Frederick said, handing her a map. "Where to first?"

Annabeth looked at the map and then looked up to assess where they were. "Ummm, maybe the ancient plant garden?" She said, pointing to the area on the map.

"That's funny, that's where you always used to start." Frederick said, walking in the direction one of the signs pointed in. Annabeth let out an awkward chuckle. Her dad cleared his throat.

They walked on a wooden bridge past short grooved of horse tail and past massive ferns that spread over the path. They towered over them, providing even more shade in the already overcast day. Annabeth adjusted the map as they appeared to walk into what appeared to be the mediterranean garden. To her right she could see a large open grassy area, as well as a large fountain, that happy couples were picnicing on, even though it looked like the sky could open up at any moment and let down a torrent of heavy rain. Annabeth tried to remember if she had checked the forecast.

"It's not supposed to rain until 3, so we should be fine." Her dad said, seeing her looking at the sky with apprehension. Annabeth nodded.

"So I heard Bobby and Matthew are taking you to the Musée Mécanique tom- well, not tomorrow, tomorrow's christmas eve, and I guess not the day after that either….Tuesday then. That should be fun. You always used to love that place."

"Yeah. It should be great." Annabeth said. At her dad's expectant look she continued. "Yep...it's a cool place…"

She didn't really know what else to say. She knew Frederick wanted her to talk to him more, and she didn't _really_ have anything against him as a person, but as a father, as the father he so much wanted to be for her- she just couldn't connect. Plaus, what was she supposed to say? Why did relatives always ask such short to answer questions?

As they rounded onto the Temperate Asia part of the gardens, and a small grove of bamboo which had been carved over with several decades of names and dates, Frederick sighed and stopped. Annabeth continued on for a few seconds before turning back to him. He had taken off his glasses and was rubbing the bridge of his nose. His back was stopped with exhaustion.

"Um-"

"Annabeth. I'm sorry." He said, putting his glasses back on and looking at her. Annabeth felt cornered. He wasn't going to- not in the middle of the park? It was enough just to be here with him- she was constantly caught in that place between apathy and a complete mental breakdown. Just seeing all of these people, these places from her past had old feelings and memories flashing through her head. She didn't know which were worse- the good ones or the bad ones.

"Annabeth, I know I wasn't...a particularly good father." He said. Annabeth scoffed despite herself.

"You're still rather shit." She said. Emotions were bubbling up inside her, like a searing poison, falling from her lips in the form of harsh words.

Frederick looked like she had smacked him, but then his expression faded into one of sad acceptance. "I deserve that."

Annabeth kept her mouth shut to prevent the poison from spilling from it.

"I recognise that when you were little I...wasn't exactly there. And Amy, I know she wasn't the most...receptive of you. She was struggling with a bunch of things, and her first child died too soon, so-"

"Freder- dad. Amy already talked to me. She's not the one you need to apologise for." Annabeth narrowed her eyes. She had abstained from thinking about Amy's apology for the day. She already knew today would hold a lot and she wasn't about to add _more._

"I know, I know. What I'm trying to say is that, I- _I_ messed up. I didn't- I wasn't paying attention to you and-"

"That's not the problem." Annabeth seethed. "Sure, you could have been there more, but the thing is- you were there. And you _saw_ what was happening and how I was feeling and you just ignored it. No- you contributed to it.-"

"Now that's not fair-"

"Just listen to me for once in your life!" Annabeth said. A few birds startled from a nearby cypress tree. Annabeth was glad there weren't a lot of people around to watch her break down. "'Indifference and neglect often do much more damage than outright dislike'. Do you know where that's from? It's a fucking _Harry Potter_ quote, but the point still stands. You _hurt_ me. And you _don't_ get to claim you're not at fault, because you are. You are. Attention wasn't what I wanted from you. It was compassion. It was a fucking decent father."

She expected Frederick to be angry. To blow up like he used to whenever Annabeth accused Amy of doing something to her. But he didn't. He sighed sadly and stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry. I should have listened to you. I should have been there for you. I haven't been a good father-" He paused, as if waiting for her to interrupt him, but she just crossed her arms and waited for him to finish. "-but I'd like to be." He looked at her with his intense brown eyes and his sandy hair that used to be the same colour as Annabeth's, but was now flecked with pepper grey, and Annabeth felt sympathetic. She felt like maybe...maybe this could work. But she couldn't get the thought out of her head…

"This isn't because I'm going to die soon, is it?" She asked bluntly. She had mostly accepted it, but it seemed like her dad hadn't by the expression painted on his face.

"No, I wouldn't- Annabeth, I've been trying to get a hold of you for years, ever since you left."

"What? I never got anything." She said suspiciously.

"Yeah. Through your email...oh what was it- wiseowl4 ?"

"Dad, I haven't used that email in over a decade." Annabeth said, colouring slightly when she was reminded of her ridiculous email title. She felt slightly guilty of accusing him of not reaching out, but then she tamped that emotion down. It was stupid to feel guilty over something she didn't know.

"Yeah, when I got an email from achase gmail or whatever, I was a little surprised." He laughed a bit to dissolve some of the tension, but the effects fell flat. He sighed again and looked up at the sky, rubbing his forehead. "Look, Annabeth, can't we just start over. I want to live this last year with my daughter in peace, without this- this _feud_ between us. Can't we do that?"

Annabeth bristled. She felt a drop of water on her nose, so she wiped it away. She hated how he said that, like he wasn't at fault. It was just Annabeth. Just Annabeth being stupid, just Annabeth holding onto things for too long, just Annabeth creating this mess. There he went again, shifting all the blame off himself.

But...at the same time, she _did_ want that. She knew she held onto grudges for too long, but she also knew when a grudge deserved to be held. And this one did. She didn't have to forgive him. She didn't really want to. But she did want to reconnect and to make her last few months something she could be proud of herself for. And dammit if she couldn't be proud of growing past this and being the mature one in her family.

"I-" She started to say, before the sky opened up and let down a torrential downpour. "Fuck!" She yelled, pulling her jacket over her head.

"Annabeth!" Her dad reprimanded. " _Language._ "

She rolled her eyes and pulled the map up to her face so she could see the fastest way out. They were able to go through Temperate Asia straight to the Main Gate, pushing their way past the fellow idiots who had planned to go to an open garden on a day with 100% chance of rain. The rain made Annabeth's jeans chafe and her t-shirt cling to her had taken off his glasses, so he could see ironically, and was squinting as he followed her down Martin Luther King Jr Drive.

"God, why did we walk?" Annabeth said.

"What?!" Frederick yelled back.

"Why did we walk?!" Annabeth repeated, louder this time.

"I thought it would be nice!" Frederick replied. Annabeth rolled her eyes. _Of course he did._

"Can we get an Uber?!"

"Shield me!"

Annabeth nodded as they stopped and she threw her rain jacket over her dad so he could scroll through his phone and get an Uber. Annabeth spat a peice of hair out of her mouth. What had started as a bad hair day, her curls frizzing from the humidity, was now a terrible hair day. She wished she had a tie on her so she could tie it back.

"It's coming in five minutes. A blue Honda Accord." Frederick said. Annabeth nodded slightly even though she knew she probably couldn't recognise a honda, nonetheless a 'honda accord'. She moved her jacket away so it only covered herself.

"Annabeth-I-" Frederick started, then stopped.

"What is it?" Annabeth asked. She shivered. The rain was already soaked to her skin and she felt a chill that reached the bone.

"Annabeth- _kullanmuru-_ I love you. I hope you know that." Frederick said finally.

Annabeth was shaken to the core when he used that Finnish term of endearment. Kullanmuru. Her dad had used that term so liberally when she was little. When she asked what it meant the way he explained it was that it meant something precious. " _Like gold, or jewels...but more. It's something precious, just like you are precious to me."_

And here they come. Here come the waterworks.

Annabeth would've been more grateful of the rain for hiding her tears is a pitiful sob hadn't accompanied them. She let go of the jacket to cover her mouth, but the damage had already been done. She cried into her hand, warm tears meeting the cold raindrops.

Frederick awkwardly shuffled over to her, only hesitating for a second before wrapping his arms around her. She flinched before settling into his arms.

"Shhh, it's okay, kullanmuru, it's okay."

It only made Annabeth cry harder. She felt like a fool, but at the same time, this was so fucked up. It was so unfair. It was so unfair that after over nine years of not talking to her father, a whole side of her family and finally reconciling with them, after all that, she was going to die in less than 5..6..? -months. It was so fucked up. All of it. She finally had a boyfriend who loved and cherished her, friends who made her life better- she had people who loved her, but all of it was overshadowed by the fact that there was so little time left. She knew it wasn't the timers. She was going to die then, whether a clock in her wrist told her or not, but it made it worse. So much worse.

And then when it changed. And then changed back. As long as she was with Percy she had time, but if she's away from him it goes back? What kind of fucked up, teasing, twist of fate is that. It wasn't fair. None of it was.

The blue honda accord finally pulled up, albeit slowly. She choked out a laugh at how ridiculous they must look- two dumbasses standing in the pouring rain, hanging off of eachother an sobbing.

Once they had gotten into the car and the driver started driving, Annabeth said what she was going to say earlier.

"I want to try again. I'm not going to forget everything from before, but I'd like to be closer to you, to all of you. I just hope that...I just hope that things won't go back to the way they are. I don't have much time left and I'm not going to spend what I do have trying to patch together something that won't work." She whispered.

"I promise I'll try too. We all will. It'll be better, I promise. And we're all here for you, 'til the-'til the end." Her dad said. Annabeth smiled slightly.

"Thank you."

;;;

 **Percy: How's it going? Everything just like you hoped?**

 **Percy: ?**

 **Annabeth: It's going good.**

 **Annabeth: And yeah**

 **Annabeth: Just like I hoped**

;;;

Annabeth settled into the rest of the family easily once the remaining tension had faded. On Christmas Eve Bobby and Matthew took her to the Musee de Mecanique, which was surprisingly open, where she showed them just how much she could beat there scores on the vintage Atari Space Invaders. Then they took her home and showed her just how much _they_ could beat her ass on Halo 4. She came home and helped her dad make _pulla_ bread and _riisipuuro_ , where she skinned and almond to be mixed into the porridge for good luck. Amy then took to the kitchen to make a christmas eve feast, fit with carrot casserole and a roast duck. Annabeth hadn't had a homemade Christmas dinner in a long time- her mum always just ordered in Indian or Chinese food.

Everyone settled around the table with the awkwardness from the first night almost completely gone. They laughed over plates of warm food and sounds of carolers down the street. Annabeth felt more at home than she had ever expected to feel at this place or with these people. And that was a very good thing.

After dinner Amy brought out Christmas crackers, which Bobby and Matthew fought over. Annabeth pulled on one with Amy. It opened with a pop, littering the floor with small scraps of paper with bad jokes written on them. Although Annabeth had lost, Amy let her wear the crown.

It was very late before people started to go to bed. Amy was first, yawning as she said goodnight. Bobby was second and then Matthew followed soon after. Then it was just Annabeth and her father left in the warm living room. They sat in comfortable silence, basking in the warmth of a good day.

Annabeth jumped when her phone rang, the piercing noise calling all attention to it.

"Who would be calling at this time of night?" Her dad asked, to no one in particular.

Annabeth would have responded if her mouth had not gone dry. She swiped to answer and held the phone up to her ear.

"Hello?"

" _Hello, is this Annabeth Chase."_

"That's me."

" _You were on Thalia Grace's emergency contact list. Does this seem to be correct."_

"Yes! What happened?!" Annabeth cried, now frantic.

"Annabeth, who is it?" Her dad asked, getting up from his seat.

" _Maam, please calm down."_

"Tell me what happened!" Annabeth yelled into the phone.

"Annabeth, is everything okay?!" Frederick was asking, but Annabeth could only hear the lady on the other side of the phone.

" _A new, experimental timer replacement surgery was tested on Thalia Grace, per request from her father-"_

Annabeth didn't even bother to ask why she hadn't been notified. "Please," She sobbed. "Please tell me she's okay."

" _Ms. Grace is fine. Actually, she's more than fine. She's awake."_

 **A/N: Brace Yourself**

 **Questions and comments are welcome! Don't forget to favorite and follow**

 **\- skulls**


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